'^  PRINCETON,  N.  J.  -^^ 


BV  2865  .R345  1862 
L.  N.  R, ,  1810-1879 
Life  work 


Sh, 


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b  -^  .    ////  Z^ 


LIFE  WOEK; 


THE   LINK  AND   THE   ElVET. 


y 

By  L.  N.  R, 

AUTHOR  OF  "the  BOOK  AND  ITS  STORY,"  AND 
'  •  THE  MISSING  LINK. "  ^  ^ 

Mrs.  Ellen  We.sr,r\^^i  aC^C^n\j^r  cK 


"I  am  the  good  shepherd— and  I  lay  down  my  life  for  the  sheep." — 
John  x.  14,  15. 

"Then  shall  thy  life  be  for  his  life."— 1  Kings  xx.  39. 

"  Even  SO  we  also  should  walk  in  newness  of  Ufe." — Rom.  vi.  4. 

"  She  that  liveth  in  pleasure  is  dead  while  she  liveth." — 1  Tim.  v.  6. 

"  That  ye  may  shine  as  lights  in  the  world,  holding  forth  the  word  of 
life."— Phil.  ii.  15,  16. 


NEW  YORK: 
ROBERT  CARTER  &  BROTHERS,  530  BROADWAY. 

M.DCCC.LXir. 


DEDICATED, 

BY  PERMISSION, 
AS  A  TEIBUTE  OF  CHRISTIAN  AFFECTION, 

f  0  i\it  IligM  Jmi  tk  Countess  of  ^ainsbotcrugl, 

WHO,  AS  ONE  OF  OUR  "  FRIENDS  IN  COUNCIL," 
TAKES  A  PRACTICAL  AND  LOVING  INTEREST  IN  THESE  MISSIONS. 


PREFACE. 


At  the  close  of  a  year  and  a  half  from  the  pub- 
lication of  "The  Missing  Link,"  its  readers  may 
possibly  desire  to  hear  whether  the  Link  has  proved 
trustworthy.  We,  therefore,  invite  them  to  the  perusal 
of  a  second  little  book,  in  which  they  will  find  the 
lights  and  shadows  of  life  as  it  is.  If  the  first  volume 
has  borne  fruit  by  the  blessing  of  God  in  the  practical 
support  and  extension  of  the  agency  delineated,  and 
has  incidentally  helped  to  break  down  prejudice  against 
woman's  work  for  Christ  among  Protestants,  to  which 
many  friends  bear  testimony  ;  we  hope  the  present 
book  will  call  forth,  not  only  more  money,  but  more 
workers,  especially  from  the  influential  classes. 

It  has  again  seemed  necessary  to  twine  together,  for 
those  who  do  not  read  cheap  periodicals,  a  selection  of 
the  facts  which  have  appeared  in  the  "  Book  and  its 
Missions  ;"  but  these  are  re-grouped  with  many  others, 
and  chiefly  as  they  might  present  a  general  view  of  the 
subject  for  those  to  whom  "  The  Bible  and  Domestic 
Female  Missions"  are  yet  unknown. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP.  I.   THE  HEBREW  MATRON  OP  THE  BOOK  OP  PROVERBS 

II.   TO  TRIFLE  AND  TO  SUFFER, 
in.   MISSING  LINKS,  AND  THEIR  RIVET, 
IV.    REDEEMING  THE  TIME, 
V.   THE  people's  WANTS  AND  THEIR  WELCOME, 
VI.   DOWN,  DOWN,  DEEPER  DOWN, 
VIL    WHAT  LIES  BEHIND  MANY  A  SQUARE, 
Vin.    THE  lady's  place  IN  TEE  MISSION-ROOM, 
IX.    GONE  HOME.  .... 

X.    THE  SCHOOL  OF  MISTAKES, 
XI.    girls'  homes  and  woman's  WORK, 
Xn.    WORKING  WITH  OTHERS,        . 

xm.  FOUR  years'  fruits, 

APPENDIX,  .... 


PAGE 
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CHAPTER  L 


'  A  being  breathing  thoughtful  breath, 
A  traveller  betwixt  life  and  death  ; 
The  reason  firm — the  temperate  will, 
Endurance,  foresight,  strength,  and  skill, 
A  perfect  woman — nobly  plann'd, 
To  warn,  to  comfort,  and  command." 

W0RDSW0ETH*S  POBTBAIT. 


•  .*-A  ^5  A,"^  V: 


PHIITCSTOIT 


^K^^-^^OItOGIO&L 


A 


Devotedness  to  an  object — purpose — as  opposed  to 
want  of  purpose,  is  acknowledged  to  make  the  differ- 
ence between  one  man's  life  and  that  of  another.  But 
does  it  not  equally  do  so  between  the  life  of  one  woman 
and  another  ?  We  adventure  not  in  this  little  volume 
to  discuss  the  work  of  MAN — and  thereby  we  trust  to 
disarm  his  criticism — for  we  think  the  books  especially 
wanted  at  this  moment  are  those  which  shall  aim  to  aid 
and  guide  the  different  departments  of  the  work  of 

WOMEN. 

There  is  a  good  woman  mentioned  in  the  Bible, — 
in  the  last  chapter  of  the  Book  of  Proverbs,  chiefly 
written  by  the  wisest  of  men — whom  God  had  set  as  the 
head  of  a  household.  Her  reigning  purpose  is  de- 
scribed to  have  been  to  "  look  well  to  the  ways  "  of 
that  household.  She  administered  the  means  her  hus- 
band provided  to  the  best  advantage.  She  arranged 
for  the  food  and  clothing  of  those  dependent  upon 
her  in  the  way  that  their  position  warranted,  and  she 
no  less  exercised  her  love  and  care  over  their  moral 
and  spiritual  existence,  for  her  "  children  arose  up  to 
call  her  blessed."  She  had  not  only  a  "  life-work  "  in 
the  inner  circle  of  her  own  family,  but  she  appor- 
tioned to  them  a  life-work  also,  and  the  finger  of  in- 


4  THE  HEBREW  MATEON 

spiration  distinctly  points  to  an  outer  circle  which  its 
true  lady  has  besides.  It  is  not  in  the  gay  world,  it  is 
not  among  the  daughters  of  pleasure  :  "  She  stretcheth 
out  her  hand  to  the  poor ;  she  reacheth  forth  her  hand 
to  the  needy." 

The  lapse  of  three  thousand  years  in  the  world's 
history,  and  man's  "many  inventions"  during  that 
period,  have  necessarily  somewhat  changed  the  habits 
of  the  descendant  of  her  whose  price  is  said  to  have 
been  '-  above  rubies/'  but  time  should  not  have  changed 
her  pwv^uc.  She  should  still  have  a  "LIFE- WORK;" 
and,  if  spinning,  weaving,  and  tapestry  are  no  more 
the  employment  oi  j^gnificd  du;nes,  she  should  still 
"brino-  forth  of  the  fruit  of  her  hands" — and  when 
she  has  attended  lovingly  to  ail  tne  claims  of  her  own 
inner  circle,  she  will,  when  she  looks  around  her,  find 
that  the  poor  have  not  ceased  out  of  the  land,  and 
that  she  must  still  "stretch  forth  her  hand  to  the  needy." 

If  she  possesses  the  thoughtful  mind  for  which  the 
Scriptures  give  her  ancestor  credit,  she  may  look 
abroad  on  London,  for  instance,  supposing  that  she 
dwells  there,  in  the  nineteenth  century — in  the  year 
1861 — and  consider  what  are  the  duties  of  herself  and 
her  compeers. 

She  will  observe,  we  doubt  not,  even  from  the  back 
windows  of  her  costly  mansion  in  a  West  End  Square, 
that  there  is  still  much  misery  and  squalor  in  "  this 
Christian  city."  The  daily  papers  and  many  a  private 
application  for  relief  will  shew  her  that  there  is  yet  a 
great  deal  left  undone  in  the  world,  even  quite  close  at 


OF  THE  BOOK  OF  PEOVEKBS.  5 

home,  which  she  might  help  to  do  ;  and  with  her  hus- 
band— who,  possibly,  like  the  eastern  emir,  "  sitteth 
among  the  elders " — she  will,  perhaps,  converse  in 
private  on  the  best  way  to  do  it.  How  much  she  may 
help  him,  if  he  is  one  among  the  lawmakers,  by  ac- 
quainting herself  with  the  real  state  and  condition  of 
the  lowest  of  the  people  ! 

Her  own  clothing,  as  of  old  time,  may  be  of  "  silk 
and  purple ; "  she  will  not,  as  of  yore,  have  woven  it 
herself,  but  we  think  she  will  very  probably  take  an 
interest  in  those  who  did; — in  the  rate  of  their  wages — 
in  their  hours  of  work — in  the  education  of  their  children 
— and,  above  all,  in  the  welfare  of  their  wives  and 
mothers.  Oh,  those  poor  homes  of  Bethnal  Green ! 
She  will  never  forget  them  if  she  has  seen  them ;  and, 
as  she  muses  on  the  sufferings  and  hardships  of  their 
inmates,  and  on  the  duties  the  rich  owe  to  the  j^oor, 
will  she  not  start,  as  we  did,  on  first  hearing  the  asser- 
tion made,  that  "  the  charities  of  London  are  its  curse  V 

Ten  years  ago,  such  a  saying  would  have  been  exe- 
crated, and  yet  the  last  decade  of  observation  and  ex- 
perience has  turned  a  stream  as  of  electric  light  on  facts 
which  prove,  that  in  the  districts  where  most  alms  are 
given,  the  population  is  the  most  demoralised  ; — mere 
relief  of  an  ephemeral  character  makes  Avay  only  for 
future  petitions.  Dependence  on  chance-favours  de- 
stroys industry  and  virtue ;  and  the  truest  aim  of  a 
benevolent  heart  must  be  to  help  the  people  to  help 
themselves,  if  we  would  not  increase  and  prolong  their 
misery. 


6  THE  HEBREW  jMATEON,  ETC. 

As  the  leading  feature  in  the  portrait  drawn  by  in- 
spired  wisdom  is,  that  this  was  a  woman  who  feared 
the  Lord,  we  may  conckide  that  her  antitype,  inherit- 
ing her  qualities,  will  surely  have  taken  part  in  the 
philanthropic  and  Christian  societies  of  the  time  ;  that 
she  will  have  shared  in  the  distribution  of  Holy  Scrip- 
ture, in  the  making  of  garments  for  the  naked,  and  in 
some  mode  of  investigating  the  cases  of  the  necessitous 
on  whom  she  desired  to  bestow  her  bounty. 

If  her  habits  are  those  of  the  wealthy  classes  in 
great  cities,  her  tent  for  six  months  of  the  year  will 
most  likely  be  pitched  in  purer  air,  and  under  less 
murky  skies,  than  those  of  the  metropolis ;  yet  we  may 
believe  that  she  will  not  even  then  have  forgotten  city- 
missions  ;  and  that  some  link  will  be  established  in  her 
absence  between  herself  and  the  duties  she  has  left 
behind.  Shall  we  err  in  supposing  that  in  this  age  of 
many  books,  and  more  readers,  she  will  have  met  with 
one  entitled  "Eagged  Homes,  and  How  to  Mend  Them?" 
and  that  she  may  have  been  led  to  hail  the  experi- 
ment delineated  in  the  pages  of  ''The  Missing  Link?" 
This  year  we  once  more  present  ourselves  before  her, 
and  entreat  her  to  bestow  her  high  purpose  of  char- 
acter more  earnestly  than  ever  in  God's  service,  and 
to  sjive  us  '' LiFE-WoEK,"  no  less — in  the  rivetins: 
of  that  "  Link."  Its  "  rivet ''  will  consist  in  the  firm 
and  loving  guidance  of  a  lowly  agency  amid  its  tem- 
poral purposes  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor,  ever  onward 
and  upward  to  its  higher  aim — the  mission  of  the 
Divine  Book  to  their  souls. 


CHAPTER  11 

Cmtttasts— ''iij  f  rifle,  inxii  ta  Suffer/' 


^Alaa!  what  do  they  know  who  have  not  suffered?" 

Madame  de  Stabl. 

***Twas  a  land  where  earthly  pride  was  not, 
Where  the  poor  were  brought  to  mind. 
With  their  scanty  bed,  their  fireless  cot, 
And  their  bread  so  hard  to  find." 

The  Border  Lajxd. 


Shall  we  venture  on  a  word  to  the  "  upper  ten  thou- 
sand ? "  Our  hearts  are  very  much  drawn  towards 
them  by  the  few  who  have  come  forth  from  their 
charmed  circle  to  think  on  the  wants  of  "  the  sunken 
sixth  " — who  have  chosen  this  for  their  "  life-work " 
— and  who,  when  they  lay  aside  their  earthly  coronets, 
will  do  so  only  to  receive  the  crown  of  life  from  Him 
who  will  say,  "  I  was  an  hungred,  and  ye  gave  me 
meat :  I  was  thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink :  I  was  a 
stranger,  and  ye  took  me  in :  naked,  and  ye  clothed 
me  :  I  was  sick,  and  ye  visited  me :  I  was  in  prison, 

and  ye  came  unto  me Inasmuch  as  ye  have 

done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my  brethren, 
ye  have  done  it  unto  me,"  (Matt.  xxv.  35,  40.) 

Let  us,  then,  solicit  the  ear,  for  a  moment,  of  one  of 
the  lovely  butterflies  who  flit  and  glitter  in  the  fairy- 
land of  wealth  and  fashion.  If  she  deigns  to  listen, 
we  have  a  question  to  proj^ose  to  her. 

"  Fair  lady,  have  you  still  a  heart  ? ''  The  purpose 
of  your  life  has  long  been  spent  on  trifles — most  exqui- 
site trifles  !  You  live  in  a  world  of  colour  and  light, 
of  jewels,  and  gossamer  dresses  of  all  rainbow  hues ; 
and  your  delight  in  them  is  varied  by  their  fleeting 


10        CONTEASTS — "TO  TRIFLE,  AND  TO  SUFFEE." 

successes  in  your  kingdom  of  admirers.  But  have  you 
any  heart  left  ?  Did  you  ever  wish  to  live  for  any- 
thing beyond  your  own  amusement, — your  own  dress, 
dinners,  and  accomplishments,  or  the  prospect  of  their 
graceful  repetition  in  the  lives  of  your  children  ? 

There  are  many  who  will  reply,  "  We  never  do. 
Vex  us  not  with  impertinent  suggestions.  Dress  is  a 
great  resource  to  us.  We  understand  its  science,  we 
rejoice  in  its  fitness  to  occasion,  we  make  it  a  study. 
So  also  of  the  elegant  appointments  of  our  houses.  It 
is  true  that  we  do  revel  in  the  pomps  and  vanities  of 
this  wicked  world,  though  we  believe  our  godfathers 
and  godmothers  renounced  them  for  us  at  our  baptism. 
We  have  no  objection  to  read  about  '  Missing  Links/ 
and  '  Kagged  Homes,'  but  as  to  '  Life-Work,'  we  leave 
that  to  the  working  classes  !  " 

So  onward  sails  the  butterfly — her  thoughts  all  bent 
on  time,  and  earth  her  home!  Yet  we  are  not  sure 
but  that  even  for  her,  an  hour  may  come  of  hidden 
longings  for  a  nobler  sphere  of  existence ;  and  in  case 
it  ever  should,  we  will  persist  in  letting  her  know  how 
much  work  there  is  in  the  world  to  be  done,  and  how 
she  might  help  to  do  it. 

The  poor  so  often  say  to  the  Bible-women, — "I 
never  thought  till  now;  no  woman  ever  taught  me 
before  this!"  Oh  !  daughters  of  frivolous  and  worldly 
mothers,  have  any  ever  taught  you  to  live  for  Christ, 
to  be  devoted  to  His  service  ?  ("  vouee/'  as  the 
Romanist  would  say).  Yet  it  is  in  woman's  better 
nature  to  be  this.     She  is  formed  to  be  devoted  to 


CONTKASTS — "TO  TEIFLE,  AND  TO  SUFFER."         11 

some  one, — queen  of  some  kingdom ;  and  it  is  to  the 
longing  for  something  better  to  do  or  to  be — to  the 
same  weariness  which  is  uttered  in  that  prolonged  sigh 
of  Solomon's  in  the  Book  of  Ecclesiastes,  "  Vanity  of 
vanities,  all  is  vanity/' — that  Rome  owes  some  of  her 
new  converts  in  the  nineteenth  century,  among  the 
children  of  this  world,  living  tuithout  a  purpose ;  yet 
they  need  not  pass  over  to  Rome  for  that  reason,  or 
even  stay  in  its  border-land  of  earnestness  concerning 
forms  and  rituals: 

A  kingdom  lies  about  their  doors — a  kingdom  of 
darkness — in  which  there  are  as  yet  but  few  lights 
kindled.  The  kind  of  agency  named  the  Missing 
Link  has  j^idneered  the  way  for  woman  to  seek  after 
woman  in  that  gloom.  Two  far-ofi'  classes  of  society 
have  yet  to  meet  together  there  ;  and,  by  their  united 
prayers  and  efforts,  in  the  delivery  of  a  message  from 
on  high,  to  shed  daylight  on  that  darkness. 

Would  it  be  possible,  for  once,  to  forego  the  park- 
drive,  where  you  meet  only  with  your  own  order,  and 
are  apt  to  forget  that  there  exist  any  people  who  do 
not  keep  carriages  ?  Do  you  think  you  could  permit  a 
Bible-woman  to  introduce  you,  in  inconspicuous  dress, 
to  so  very  different  a  place  as  Whitecross  Street,  in  the 
heart  of  our  city  of  London  ?  You  need  have  no  fear 
in  her  company.  When  she  has  been  some  time  in  the 
district,  and  is  the  right  kind  of  person,  the  people  will 
often  run  for  her  to  settle  a  quarrel,  especially  between 
fighting  women,  instead  of  for  the  police. 

As  we  thread  the  maze  of  this  long,  dingy,  narrow 


12        CONTRASTS — "TO  TEIFLE,  AND  TO  SUFFEE." 

street,  still  further  narrowed  by  its  rows  of  market- 
stalls,  you  will  look  up  to  the  sky  overhead,  and  won- 
der how  long  it  is  since  the  free  air  of  heaven  played 
there. 

Well,  for  that  time  you  must  probably  go  back  to 
the  great  fire  of  London  in  1666,  when  this  place,  now 
so  densely  populated,  was  part  of  a  fen,  or  moor ;  to 
which  space  the  inhabitants  of  the  burning  city  came 
forth  from  their  10,000  flaming  houses,  and  were  glad 
to  lodge  in  small  huts,  built  in  Fensbury  and  Moor- 
fields,  as  on  other  spots  without  the  walls.  In  the 
still  earlier  times  of  Henry  II.,  "  a  great  fen^  or  moor," 
we  are  told  by  Fitzstephen,  watered  the  walls  of  the 
city  on  the  north  side,  stretching  from  the  wall  betwixt 
Bishopsgate  and  Cripplegate,  to  Finsbury  and  Holywell. 
When  the  moor  was  frozen,  it  was  a  great  place  of 
resort  for  the  young  Londoners,  with  their  primitive 
skates,  formed  of  the  leg-bones  of  animals  (one  of 
which  bone-skates  is  still  to  be  seen  in  the  museum  of 
Mr  Roach  Smith). 

In  the  year  1415,  the  Moorgate  postern  was  made 
in  the  wall,  and  Moorfields  was  searched  for  clay  to 
make  bricks,  which  were  burnt  on  the  spot.  In  the 
course  of  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries,  the 
moor  was  drained,  laid  out  in  walks,  and  planted  plea- 
santly with  trees.  Then  came  the  time  when,  as 
above,  the  houseless  jjeople  took  refuge  there  under 
tents  and  hovels,  and,  in  the  ensuing  year,  the  fields 
were  built  upon  and  paved. 

Finsbury  Square  and  Finsbury  Circus  have  yet  pre- 


CONTEASTS — "  TO  TRIFLE,  AND  TO  SUFFEE."        13 

served  free  spaces  like  those  of  olden  time,  but  as  for 
these  streets  and  lanes,  it  seems  as  if  one  would  never 
come  to  the  end  of  them.  It  is  an  escape  from  the 
bustle  among  the  fruit  and  fish-stalls,  to  turn  into 
some  one  of  the  little  side  courts  or  alleys.  Perhaps 
you  will  forget  the  unpleasant  walk  through  the 
crowded  street  in  the  lesson  you  may  learn  in  one  of 
these  courts,  of  thankfulness  for  God's  mercies.  Do 
you  remember  in  "The  Missing  Link,"  (p.  164,)  a  poor 
cripple  who  thanked  God  for  "  that  great  blessing  that 
He  had  left  her — the  use  of  one  thumb  ?"  It  is  her  we 
have  come  to  see.  We  have  climbed  the  narrow,  wind- 
ing stairs,  and  taken  refuge  from  the  dust  and  noise 
outside  in  old  Sarah's  clean,  quiet,  airy  room.  There  she 
lies,  or  rather  sits,  in  bed,  with  her  whole  body  con- 
tracted and  curled  together,  as  cholera,  rheumatism,  and 
poor  living  together  have  combined,  for  thirty  years, 
to  twist  it ;  but  with  such  a  bright,  cheerful  face,  and 
such  a  pleasant,  emphatic  voice,  that  you  vt^ill  be  will- 
ing to  speak  with  her,  we  are  sure.  Will  you  like  to 
know  something  of  her  history  ? 

She  is  a  true  Londoner,  and  has  not  even  any  child- 
ish memories  of  the  occasional  summer  holidays 
which,  now  in  London,  in  this  age  of  philanthropy, 
brighten  a  poor  child's  life ;  work,  hard  work,  and 
long  hours  of  labour,  are  her  earliest  recollections.  -At 
her  father's  death  she  left  a  little  place  of  all- work  for 
the  family  employment  of  weaving  haircloth,  followed 
from  five  in  the  morning  till  ten  at  night.  She  was 
the  eldest  of  many  children,  and,  after  that  hour,  had  to 


t4        CONTRASTS— "  TO  TRIFLE,  AND  TO  SUFFER. 

scrub  the  floor  of  their  room,  which,  because  she  did 
it  more  thoroughly  on  Sundays,  she  made  an  excuse 
for  not  accompanying  her  mother  to  a  place  of  worship. 
She  remembers  the  rattle  of  the  old  tin-kettles  from 
their  high  window-sill,  which  a  watchman  pulled  by  a 
string,  at  their  request,  to  wake  the  weary  to  their  early 
toil  each  morning  ;  but  she  has  never  in  her  life  seen  a 
hay-rick,  a  wood,  or  a  corn-field.  Two  years  ago,  however, 
one  friend  brought  her  a  few  ears  of  corn,  and  another 
some  acorns.  The  longest  journey  she  has  undertaken 
in  one  direction  has  been  made  to  Islington  Church, 
and  in  the  other  to  St  George's-in-the-Borough,  when 
the  sight  of  the  water,  in  crossing  the  bridge,  made  her 
feel  giddy. 

To  a  frame  thus  nurtured  in  the  city's  heart  came 
cholera  in  its  primary  visit  to  our  metropolis.  This 
victim  did  not  die  of  it,  though  she  never  recovered 
from  its  collapse,  and  here  she  lies  ever  since.  Perhaps 
we  remark  to  her  that  she  is  ''  all  alone." 

"  Yes,''  she  replies,  in  a  peculiarly  sweet  and  cheer- 
ful voice,  "  I  am  alone,  and  yet  not  alone." 

''How  is  that?" 

"  I  feel  that  the  Lord  is  constantly  with  me." 

This  is  verified  by  such  an  expression  of  calm  happi- 
ness on  her  countenance  as  was  seen  in  the  faces  of 
many  of  the  converts  during  the  recent  revivals  in 
Ulster. 

"  How  long  have  you  lain  there  V 

"  For  sixteen  years  and  four  months,  and  for  two 
years  and  four  months  I  have  not  been  lifted  out  of 


CONTRASTS — "TO  TRIFLE,  AND  TO  SUFFER."        15 

my  bed  to  liave  it  made,  yet  I  have  much  to  praise  and 
bless  the  Lord  for/' 

"  What  is  the  source  of  your  happiness  ?" 

"The  thought  that  my  sins  are  forgiven,  and  my 
dwelling  on  the  great  love  of  Jesus,  my  Saviour ;  I  am 
content  to  lie  here  as  long  as  it  shall  please  Him  that 
I  should  stay,  and  to  go  whenever  He  may  call  me. 
But  oh !  how  wonderful  it  seems  to  me  that  I  should 
be  continued  here,  while  those  who  are  young  and 
active  are  taken  away  !  Four  young  persons,  who  used 
to  call  upon  me,  have  been  taken  home  within  the  last 
six  weeks.  I  have  to  thank  God  that  I  have  reason  to 
believe  that  one  of  them  was  led  to  Jesus  by  her  visits 
to  me.'' 

"  That  is  truly  something  to  be  thankful  for." 

"  Yes ;  and  see  how  God  has  left  to  me  the  use  of 
one  thumb,"  and  she  opens  and  closes  her  thumb  on 
her  crooked  and  folded  fingers. 

"Have  you  also  lost  the  use  of  the  other  hand?" 

"  Entirely."  We  see  that  the  left  hand  is  clenched 
and  stiff,  utterly  useless. 

"  How  is  she  attended  to  ?"  you  ask. 

"I  have  two  kind  neighbours,"  she  says,  "who  come 
in  by  turns  to  bring  me  my  breakfast,  and  to  set  me  to 
rights." 

Just  then,  perhaps,  a  little  neat  elderly  woman,  witti 
a  very  kind  expression  of  countenance,  will  come  in  ^u 
make  up  her  fire. 

"  Your  friend  seems  happy,"  we  say. 

"  Yes ;  she  is  always  cheerful.'^ 


16        CONTRASTS — •'"TO  TRIFLE,  AND  TO  SUFFER/' 

"  Do  you  come  and  sit  and  chat  with  her  some- 
times ?" 

"  No  ;  I  can't  leave  my  work." 

"  Could  you  not  bring  your  work  up  here,  and  lieep 
her  company  while  you  do  it  ?" 

"  No  ;  it's  washing.  I  do,  now  and  then,  when  I  have 
a  stocking  to  mend,  come  and  sit  by  her  side  on  sum- 
mer evenings." 

Summer  evenings  and  winter  nights  !  God  has  cared 
for  poor  "  Sarah  "  through  them  all,  for  sixteen  years, 
and  caused  her  two  neighbours  to  care  for  her.  The 
most  rigid  economy  has  been  necessary;  and,  however 
long  the  dark  hours,  she  never  burns  a  candle,  except 
in  illness.  If  friends  drop  in  upon  her,  they  some^ 
times  bring  their  own  light  with  them.  She  says  she 
can  think  in  the  dark  on  the  promises  of  the  Lord. 

"And  you  are  really  never  lonely  through  those  many 
hours,"  we  rej^eat ;  "  never  lonely  and  never  afraid  ?" 

"  No,"  she  replies,  "  but  my  kind  neighbour,  when 
she  was  out  in  her  backyard,  had  a  careful  thought  for 
me  some  years  ago.  'There  lies  poor  Sarah,'  said  she; 
*  there  is  no  light  from  her  small  square  window,  near 
the  head  of  her  bed ;  she  lies  all  alone,  she  shall  have 
my  clock  for  company.'  So  she  brought  me  the  clock, 
and  a  very  great  comfort  it  was  to  me  to  hear  it  tick 
and  to  see  how  the  time  went — but  afterwards  it 
stopped ;  we  tried  to  have  it  mended,  but  she  feared 
it  was  a  deception,  sold  to  her  by  an  American  that 
went  about  with  such  things ;  still  I  liked  to  look  at  it 
for  her  kindness'  sake." 


CONTRASTS — "  TO  TRIFLE,  AND  TO  SUFFER."        17 

"  How  long  is  it  since  you  began  to  love  Jesiis  ? " 
"  When  I  lost  my  poor  mother,  and  had  not  a  friend 
beside  ;  then  I  turned  to  Him,  and  He  '  took  me  up/  * 
and  He  has  ever  since  been  '  my  Shepherd.'     Oh,  how 
I  love  His  Word!" 

"  Where  is  your  old  Bible  ?  the  one  you  had  before 
the  Bible  Society  gave  you  that  large  one  ?" 

'•'A  friend  took  that  away,  who  said  he  would  have  it 
now  I  had  got  a  new  one ;  but  I  miss  it,  somehow,  for 
I  had  marked  it  with  a  pencil  everywhere,  so  that  there 
was  no  more  room  to  mark ;  and  though  its  print  was 
small,  1  lifted  its  leaves  with  my  fork  easier  than  this 
big  one.  I  went  without  butter  and  sugar,  too,  to  pay 
a  penny  a-week  to  get  it." 

"  You  said  the  Lord  was  your  Shepherd  ?" 
"  Yes  ;  that  is  quite  a  true  name  for  Jesus.  *  I 
shall  not  want,'  my  own  life  can  shew  that,  and  '  not 
want  any  good  thing.'  Oh,  how  often  God  has  sent 
me  the  very  thing  I  desired !  Once  my  sister  came  to 
my  bedside  with  a  mouldy  crust,  and  said,  '  See,  here  is 
all  that  the  parish  will  give  you.'  I  told  her  not  to 
mind,  to  cut  out  the  crumb,  and  wipe  the  crust  with  a 
clean  cloth,  and  if  there  was  any  butter,  to  scrape  it  to- 
gether ;  for  I  was  glad  to  have  even  this.  While  my 
sister  was  doing  as  I  said,  there  was  a  knock  at  the 
door ;  I  made  *a  sign  to  her  with  my  fork,  for  she  is 
very  deaf,  and  who  should  be  there  but  a  lady,  who 
said  she  had  just  seen  a  baker  put  the  bread  into  his 

*  "  When  my  father  and  my  mother  forsake  me,  then  th.3  LorJ 
will  take  me  up." — Psalm  xxvii.  10. 

B 


18       CONTEASTS — "  TO  TEIFLE,  AND  TO  SUFFER." 

window,  and  she  thought  a  little  crusty  loaf  would 
make  a  nice  breakfast  for  her  poor  friend/' 

The  string  of  the  loving- kindness  of  the  Lord  once 
touched,  note  after  note  prolongs  the  song  of  praise. 

"  God  makes  people  so  very  kind  to  her,  the  longer 
she  lies  there  the  more  kind  He  makes  them.  For  six 
weeks  in  succession,  last  year,  half-a-cwt.  of  coals  were 
sent  in  to  her  every  Saturday,  and  she  could  never  dis- 
cover the  donor." 

She  describes  how  unexpectedly  they  came,  her  sur- 
prise at  the  gift,  and  how  welcome  they  were. 

She  has  not  always  lived  in  this  room,  but  a  fire 
broke  out  in  the  court  where  she  formerly  resided,  and 
her  very  curtains  were  in  flames,  when  the  neighbours 
removed  her,  like  a  bundle  in  a  blanket,  to  this  safe 
place.  They  had  put  up  her  bed  again  for  her  before 
night. 

A  little  while  after  this  enforced  removal  of  her 
lodging,  which  seems  to  have  been  an  exchange  for  the 
better,  she  heard  tliat  the  church-warden  of  her  former 
district  was  to  be  married,  and  he  had  said  that  every 
poor  old  woman  who  had  tea  and  sugar  tickets  from 
the  church,  should  have  a  bright  new  shilling  and 
double  tickets  for  a  fortnight ;  but  she,  poor  thing, 
although  only  by  a  stone's  throw,  was  now  "  not  in  his 
parish,"  and  there  would  be  no  shilling  and  no  tickets 
for  her.  She  was  very  sad  when  she  heard  this,  and 
although  *'  she  cried  not,  she  could  not  help  grieving  all 
day  ;  indeed,  that  night  she  had  little  sleep,  for  she 
knew  she  had  not  much  breakfast  to  expect  the  next 


CONTRASTS — "  TO  TRIFLE,  AND  TO  SUFFER."        19 

morning.  Was  it  possible  ?  She  had  almost  doubted 
the  Lord." 

In  the  morning  she  heard  a  knock  at  her  door,  and 
on  saying,  "  Come  in/'  a  gentleman  answered,  "  It  is 
very  early  to  disturb  an  invalid,  but  I  thought  I  would 
just  leave  this  parcel  on  my  way  to  the  City,"  so  "he 
placed  what  he  had  brought  on  that  chair  you  see  there," 
slie  says,  pointing  with  her  fork.  She  could  not  rise  to 
open  it,  or  call  any  one  else  to  do  so,  and  it  seemed  a 
long,  long  time  till  her  kind  neighbour  came  up-stairs 
and  brought  it  to  the  bed  and  untied  it,  and  what 
should  be  in  it  but  half-a-pound  of  tea,  half-a-pound 
of  coffee,  a  pound  of  loaf-sugar  and  a  pound  of 
moist !  How  slie  did  thank  God,  and  mourn  that  she 
could  have  doubted  Him  !  And  that  was  not  all,  for 
after  breakfast,  a  friend,  who  had  promised  to  try  and 
see  that  she  should  not  be  excluded  from  the  church- 
w^arden's  list,  but  had  not  succeeded  about  the  tickets, 
brought  her,  still  further  to  reprove  her  faithlessness, 
the  brioht  new  shillino-. 

Now  she  has  another  story  for  you.  Her  life  was 
three  times  threatened  by  an  impatient  relative  who 
had  the  care  of  her  at  one  period.  Sometimes  the 
poor  are  selfish,  and  very  weary  of  the  existence  which 
is  a  burden  to  them.  This  woman  was  one  mornino^ 
almost  driven  to  desperation  by  the  low  price  she  had 
obtained  for  shirtmaking,  and  went  away  declaring,  that 
when  she  came  home  "  she  would  finish  "  poor  Sarah. 
She  went  out  for  cat's-meat,  and  Sarah  lay  still,  pray- 
ing.    On  her  return  she  sat  herself  down,  bleeding,  by 


20       CONTEASTS — "  TO  TRIFLE,  AND  TO  SUFFEK." 

the  fireplace.  She  had  run  a  hook  into  her  own  foot, 
and  was,  for  that  time,  disabled  from  doing  injury  to 
the  poor  cripple.  At  another  period  she  declared  she 
would  knock  her  on  the  head,  and  rose  to  do  so,  but 
striking  the  bed-post  in  her  fury  instead,  put  her  own 
shoulder  out.  A  third  attempt  was  made,  and  quite 
as  suddenly  defeated  by  the  providence  of  God,  of 
which  being  at  last  convinced,  that  person  has  since 
become  more  friendly,  and  old  Sarah  is  not  now  in  her 
power. 

We  ask  her  if  she  is  in  sympathy  with  any  other 
person  who  is  a  cripple?  She  says,  "Yes,  she  is.  She 
often  lies  and  thinks  of  a  poor  girl  in  an  hospital,  on 
the  other  side  of  London,  of  wdiom  a  lady  who  visits 
them  both  has  told  her."  This  girl  had  lost  the  use  of 
her  limbs  througli  the  cruelty  of  her  stepmother,  who 
had  kept  her,  when  a  child,  shut  up  for  months  in  a 
stone  kitchen,  without  fire,  as  a  j^i-inishment ;  feeding 
her  only  on  potato-parings  and  tea-leaves.  One  day 
she  left  the  door  open,  and  this  wretched  child  got  out 
into  the  area  and  screamed.  A  man  passing  heard 
her,  and  seeing  the  deplorable,  scarcely  human,  object, 
called  the  police.  The  stepmother  was  sent  to  prison 
for  two  years,  and  everything  was  done  to  restore  the 
poor  girl  to  health.  She  recovered  the  use  of  her 
fingers,  and  can  do  beautiful  embroidery  work,  where- 
by she  partly  supports  herself. 

We  have  just  produced  a  little  woollen  shawl,  one 
which  has  been  to  spare  from  a  large  parcel  most 
kindly  sent  for  the  Bible- women.     Fair  hands  knitted 


CONTRASTS — "  TO  TRIFLE,  AND  TO  SUFFER."        21 

it  with  true  love  for  this  Female  Mission,  and  we  know 
they  will  allow  of  this  one  deviation  in  the  direction  of 
their  useful  handiAvork.  A  linsey  petticoat,  which  has 
likewise  been  sent  for  Mission  use,  will  now  aid  to  keep 
the  poor  feet  w^arm.  These  both  happen  to  be  just 
what  she  wants,  as  her  clothing  is  very  thin  for  cold 
weather.  Her  bed  looks  so  neat,  the  sheets  and  cap 
quite  clean,  her  face  fair,  and  almost  without  a  wrinkle, 
witli  her  white  hair  combed  back  from  her  forehead, 
and  happy  peace  written  on  her  brow.  We  bless  the 
kind  neighbours  whose  three  visits  a-day  thus  give  help 
to  the  helpless.  May  God  reward  their  labour  of 
love  !  One  of  these  women  has  been  a  wddow  sixteen 
years.  She,  too,  has  trusted  in  God,  and  He  has  always 
cared  for  her,  though  often  she  has  not  known  what 
she  should  live  on  the  next  day,  or  even  what  she  should 
eat  for  the  next  meal.  The  cold  weather  is  just  setting 
in,  and  another  friend  has  sent  Sarah  a  warm  ruoj  for 
a  coverlet.  This  proves  an  inexpressible  comfort,  and 
she  thought  the  first  night  of  its  added  warmth  "  was 
Paradise,"  and  remarked,  "  How  was  it  that  she  lay 
so  sheltered  and  comforted,  when  her  Saviour  had  not 
where  to  lay  His  head  ? " 

If  we  inquire  into  her  definite  means  of  support,  she 
replies — "  I  have  4s.  6d.  a- week  from  the  parish  ;  2s.  I 
pay  for  my  room,  and  Is.  to  my  sister  for  cleaning  it, 
and  then  there  is  w^ashing,  coals,  and  food.  One  kind 
friend  allows  me  6d.  a-month,  and  sometimes  I  am  on 
the  Aged  Pilgrim's  Friend  Society  for  five  or  six  weeks; 
while  I  am  upon  it  I  have  Is.  6d.  a- week."     Sarah  has 


22       CONTRASTS — "  TO  TRIFLE,  AND  TO  SUFFER." 

two  meals  a-day,  and  in  the  evening  one  cup  of 
tea,  but  nothing  to  eat,  for  she  can  do  as  well  with- 
out it.  Friends  are  kind  in  taking  her  occasional 
nourishment.  *'  Yesterday  a  lady  brought  in  two  such 
nice  chops," — but  it  is  none  the  less  living  by  faith, 
and  most  truly  she  can  say,  "  The  Lord  is  my  Shep- 
herd," 

We  notice  something  like  an  old  book  hanging  at 
the  back  of  her  door,  and  ask  her  what  it  is.  "  Oh, 
that  is  a  Missionary-box  for  the  City  Mission  to  the 
poor  people  round  here."  (Well  may  she  think  of 
Home  Missions  !)  "  My  Missionary  opens  it  some- 
times, and  he  finds  a  great  many  pence  in  it.  If  I 
cannot  give  to  it  myself,  my  friends  put  in  something 
for  my  sake." 

Oh,  what  joy  lights  up  her  face  as  we  speak  of  the 
present  times  of  refreshing  from  the  presence  of  the 
Lord,  by  the  outpouring  of  His  Holy  Spirit !  "  That 
He  should  have  suffered  her  to  live  to  hear  of  these 
days !  "  she  says.  She  longs,  in  her  helplessness,  to  be 
"  an  ambassador  for  Christ ; "  a  "  worker  together  with 
Him,"  beseeching  men  that  they  receive  not  the  grace 
of  God  in  vain.  Perhaps  she  may  speak  of  God's  mer- 
cies to  a  wider  circle  than  she  dreams  of. 

The  sympathy  received  for  poor  Sarah  from  those 
who  have  heard  her  story  has  been  perfectly  amazing, 
and  shews  how  much  affectionate  feeling  can  be  drawn 
forth,  to  an  individual  case,  from  all  quarters  of  the 
kingdom.  If  we  had  complied  with  every  desire  to  see 
her,  we  should  have  run  the  risk  of  spoiling  her,  or  kill- 


CONTRASTS—"  TO  TRIFLE,  AND  TO  SUFFER."        23 

ing  her  with  excitement.  We  have  provided  her  with 
what  was  a  real  necessity, — a  new  bed  and  clean  bed- 
ding, and  have  yet  wherewithal  to  increase  her  weekly 
comforts  for  a  little  time  to  come.  We  could  have 
bung  her  room  round  with  the  clocks  that  have  been 
offered  for  her. 

Once  we  received  a  letter  in  large  hand,  with  a  shil- 
ling's worth  of  stamps.  "  This  shilling  is  for  poor 
Sarah,  and  was  given  to  me  for  doing  my  sums 
QUITE  perfect."  Dear  little  man,  his  mamma  says 
"the  sums  alluded  to  were  the  result  of  many  days' 
perseverance  with  this  end  in  view." 

"  The  neighbours  "  have  rejoiced  in  all  help  sent  for 
Sarah,  and  she,  more  than  over  any  good  to  herself,  in 
some  kind  notice  of  their  free  service  rendered  to  "  the 
neighbours."  She  takes  it  all  as  from  the  hand  of  her 
heavenly  Father.  One  of  these  good  women  said, 
(while  we  were  removing  Sarah  to  the  nice  new  bed, 
which  she  had  watched  being  put  together  as  if  she 
were  in  a  dream,)  "  This  is  very  different  to  the  time 
when  I  used  to  come  up  to  you,  and  think  you  were  in 
a  grave ;  no  candle,  no  fire,  poor  thing,  or  only  a  little 
fire  lit  now  and  then."  "Ah,"  she  answered,  "I  was 
not  so  very  cold  then,  though  I  did  not  know  what  it 
was  to  be  so  warm  as  I  am  now.  God  has  always  been 
good  to  me.  His  mercies  have  been  mounting  up 
from  the  time  I  was  ready  to  eat,  and  be  thankful 
for,  that  mouldy  crust,  (and  I  did  not  have  to  eat  it 
after  all) ;  but  now  I  am  lost  quite,  in  wonder,  love, 
and  praise." 


24        CONTEASTS — "TO  TEIFLE,  AND  TO  SUFFER." 

Nothing  has  been  more  touching,  except  the  sym- 
pathy of  the  young  with  her  true  story,  than  the  voice 
which  has  reached  us  from  many  a  bed  of  languishing 
like  her  own.  The  recital  of  her  story,  as  told  in  the 
"Book  and  its  Missions,"  has  answered  its  end,  for  it 
has  cheered  and  strengthened  many  a  one  set  apart  to 
suffer  in  the  higher  walks  of  life.  Old  Sarah  values 
every  mercy  in  her  afflicted  lot.  The  little  four-pane 
window  at  the  head  of  her  bed,  throws  the  light  upon 
her  Bible,  and  makes  it  easier  for  her  to  read,  and  the 
window  023posite,  though  it  only  looks  into  a  small 
court,  "makes  it  so  cheerful."  The  sunshine,  as  it 
lights  upon  her  wall,  reminds  her  of  the  "  Sun  of 
Eighteousness ;"  and  the  moonbeams,  as  they  stream 
in  and  silver  the  darkness  of  her  evenings,  carry  her 
thoughts  up  to  Him  who  has  lighted  the  darkness  of 
her  soul.  She  "  enjoys  the  dark  "  to  think  over  what 
she  has  read  in  the  day,  or  we  have  had  many  an  offer 
of  candle  or  lamp  to  dissipate  it.  AVe  have  not  told 
her  she  has  been  written  about.  She  has  a  general 
sense  that,  somehow  or  other,  by  the  kindness  of  many 
distant  friends  for  whom  we  ask  her  to  pray,  these 
fresh  mercies  are  bestowed  ujDon  her,  and  the  answer 
she  made  may  go  forth  to  all.  We  shall  never  forget 
the  emphasis  with  which  it  was  uttered.  "  Inasmuch 
as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my 
brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  Me."  "Unto  Me," 
she  repeated.  "  Wonderful !  but  it  is  so,  for  He 
says  it/' 


CONTEASTS — "TO  TRIFLE,  AND  TO  SUFFEE."        25 

And  this  is  but  one  case  cared  for  amid  the  masses 
of  the  London  poor. 

Every  one  whose  habit  it  has  been  to  seek  for  those 
children  of  God  who  are  hidden  in  dull  back  streets, 
and  never  push  themselves  into  notice,  has  found  in 
the  course  of  their  lives  some  "  living  epistle  of  Christ," 
deserving  to  be*  known  and  read  of  all  men.  And 
why  ?  because  their  histories  shew,  in  ever  varied 
language,  the  power  of  His  love,  who  can  be  all  in 
all  to  His  people.  The  less  they  have  on  earth  to  com- 
fort them,  the  more  He  can  reveal  to  them  of  heaven 
begun  below. 

Shall  we  pay  a  visit  to  another  quiet  room,  where, 
as  "  by  the  side  of  still  waters,"  in  the  midst  of  the 
city's  dust  and  din,  w^e  may  learn  a  lesson  that  shall 
refresh  our  souls  ? 

Our  search  is  now  in  Drury  Lane,  once  tenanted 
by  the  noble  and  the  gay,  but  of  which  the  poet  sub- 
sequently and  truly  says — 

"  Oh  may  thy  virtue  guard  thee  through  the  roads 
Of  Drury's  mazy  courts  and  dark  abodes." 

Nearly  opposite  the  grand  theatre  fresh  risen  from 
its  ashes,  let  us  turn  into  one  court  out  of  Bow  Street, 
and  up  another,  where  we  find  many  a  house  once  in 
the  possession  of  the  wealthy,  but  now  let  out  in 
separate  rooms,  from  top  to  bottom.  At  one  door  we 
notice  five  bells  for  the  five  floors ;  the  stairs  are  clean, 
and  the  flights  many.     Ascending  to  the  highest,  we 


26        CONTRASTS — "  TO  TEIFLE,  AND  TO  SUFFER/' 

enter  a  room,  in  whicli  a  tent-bed  has  dark  curtains 
drawn  almost  all  round  it. 

On  that  bed  lies  another  great  sufferer — Ann  J . 

A  short  time  since  the  welcome  hand  of  death  seemed 
about  to  release  her  from  her  long  life  of  sorrow.  It 
is  now  thirty-one  years  since  the  day  when,  in  hurry- 
ing to  open  the  door  to  a  doctor,  she  fell  down-stairs 
with  a  child  in  her  arms ;  the  babe  was  unhurt,  but 
she  suff*ered  concussion  of  the  brain,  and  has  never 
since  that  period  known  an  hour  free  from  23ain.  She 
had  then  a  kind  husband,  a  Christian  man,  who  had 
everything  done  that  could  be  done,  within  his  power, 
to  relieve  and  comfort  her.  Yfhen  he  died,  sixteen 
years  ago,  she  lost  her  all,  and  was  left  with  three 
daughters,  one  of  them  deformed,  and  very  weakly. 

Previously  to  this  loss,  she  herself  attempted  to  do 
a  little  needle-work,  lying  on  her  back ;  but  a  large 
•tumour  formed  round  her  neck,  and  she  has  now  lain 
for  sixteen  years  with  her  head  in  a  plate,  to  preserve  it 
from  the  heat  of  the  i^illow, — a  proof  of  how  much,  and 
how  long,  poor  human  nature  may  suffer  and  not  die ; 
and  a  proof  that  a  soul  inhabiting  such  an  afflicted 
body  may  yet  praise  the  Lord  for  His  goodness,  and 
for  His  wonderful  works  to  the  children  of  men.  We 
think  we  never  heard  a  testimony  to  the  goodness  of  God 
so  fervent  as  we  often  have  from  within  those  curtains. 

It  is  said  of  the  Most  High,  in  the  33d  Psalm,  that 
"  from  the  place  of  His  habitation  He  looketh  upon  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the  earth;"  that  "His  eye  is  upon 
them  that  hope  in  His  mercy,"  and  that  their  hearts 


CONTRASTS — *'T0  TRIFLE,  AND  TO  SUFFER."        27 

shall  rejoice  in  Him,  because  they  have  trusted  in  His 
holy  name. 

If  so,   then   the   eye  of   a  loving  Lord  is  on  this 

attic  in  D Court.    You  shall  hear  the  witness  that 

that  text  is  true  from  its  humble  occupants. 

We  will  ask  if  we  may  speak  to  the  sufferer, 
through  the  closely-drawn  curtains.  She  seems  to 
have  a  constant  sense  of  suffocation  from  the  tumour, 
added  to  the  intense  pain  in  her  head.  She  cannot 
speak  above  the  lowest  whisper,  so  that  we  hardly  hear 
what  she  says,  but  the  very  soft  voice  and  the  exj)res- 
sions  used  would  give  the  impression  that  she  has  been 
an  educated  person,  before  she  fell  into  her  present 
state  of  distress. 

If  we  inquire  how  long  this  struggle  has  lasted, 
and  remark,  that  it  will  soon  be  over,  and  that  we  sup- 
pose she  will  be  quite  willing  to  go  home  ;  she  raises 
her  hand  in  a  manner  that  gives  emphasis  to  the  "  Oh 
yes,"  which  she  can  hardly  utter. 

"  And,"  we  add,  "  quite  willing  to  stay  as  long  as  it 
shall  please  God  to  detain  you  on  this  bed  of  pain  ? " 
We  listen  for  her  answer,  till  she  breathes  out,  "  Hardly 
so !  I  am  longing  to  depart.  My  sufferings  have  been 
so  intense.  The  waves  and  the  billows  have  gone  over 
me  !     Oh,  to  be  released  ! " 

We  then  tell  her  of  poor  "  Sarah,"  who  has  been 
confined  to  her  bed  for  sixteen  years,  and  cannot  raise 
her  hand  to  her  mouth,  yet  is  so  happy  in  her  soli- 
tude, that  she  declares  she  would  not  change  places 
with  the  Queen — ^  Jiappiness  which  arises  from  know- 


28        CONTRASTS — "TO  TRIFLE,  AND  TO  SUFFER." 

ing  that  her  sms  were  forgiven,  and  feeling  assured 
that  Jesus  has  loved  her.  She  raises  her  hand  in  the 
same  expressive  vs^ay. 

"  That  poor  woman,  who  has  been  so  long  confined 
to  her  bed,  is,"  we  say,  "  willing  to  stay  or  go,  just  as 
it  shall  please  the  Lord."  She  makes  another  expres- 
sive motion  with  her  hand. 

"  She  had  a  blanket  given  her  during  the  cold  weather, 
and  as  she  felt  it  so  warm  and  comfortable,  she  could 
not  help  thinking  of  Him  who  had  nowhere  to  lay  His 
head." 

"  Oh,  I  also  delight  to  meditate,  as  I  lie  here,  on  the 
sufferings  of  my  Saviour  ! "  she  feebly  whispers.  "  I 
have  been  in  this  state  thirty-one  years,  come  May." 

"  Thirty-one  years  is  indeed  a  long  time  to  look 
forward  to,  or  even  to  look  back  upon,  now ;  but  a 
thousand  years  hence,  when  you  think  about  it,  it  will 
appear  but  as  a  '  light  aflliction,  enduring  for  a  mo- 
ment, and  then  eternity  will  hardly  be  begun.' ""  (An- 
other elevation  of  the  hand). 

We  have  quoted  the  text,  "  In  my  Father's  house 
there  are  many  mansions.     I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for 

you." 

"  Yes,"  she  says,  with  all  the  energy  her  feeble 
frame  will  allow,  "  that's  a  reality  I" 

Do  we  not  feel  as  if  we  ourselves  had  been  con- 
victed of  repeating  the  text  without  believing  it?  so 
great  is  the  emphasis  of  those  few  words. 

Her  feeble  daughter,  on  whom  their  support  mainly 
depends,  and  who  suffers  from  spinal  con^pl^iint  md 


CONTRASTS — "TO  TRIFLE,  AND  TO  SUFFER."        29 

asthma,  had  lately  been  too  ill  to  work  at  her  business 
of  dressmaking,  and  they  had  begun  to  feel  the  pressure 
of  want.  A  gentleman,  also,  who  for  three  years  had 
kindly  given  them  occasional  help,  had  jnst  gone  away 
to  reside  in  France.  She,  therefore,  expresses  her  deep 
gratitude  to  God  for  a  new  friend,  and  the  daughter's 
reply  to  the  assistance  we  afforded  was,  "  This  is  as  if 
it  came  straight  from  the  clouds."  The  promise  of  an 
extra  half-crown  a-week  was  received  as  if  it  were  in 
their  sight  unbounded  riches. 

We  have  told  her  the  benefit  received  by  those 
who  are  allowed  to  minister  to  her  is  probably  greater 
than  to  herself,  for  they,  seeing  her  confidence  in  God, 
in  her  heavy  affliction,  will  be  encouraged  afresh  to 
trust  in  Him.  This  idea  fills  her  pleasant  brown  eyes 
with  tears  of  joy.  "  I  do  cast/'  she  says,  "  all  my  care 
upon  Him,  but  I  feel  dark  at  times.  Yet  what  a 
mercy  it  is,  that  during  all  these  years  I  have  never 
had  my  bed  taken  from  under  me  !  I  often  thank  God 
for  that." 

She  then  mentious  how  she  rejoiced  to  hear  of  the 
prayer-meetings  during  the  first  week  in  January, 
all  over  the  world  ;  that  she  has  sent  requests  that  she 
might  be  remembered  in  the  supplications,  and  also 
notices  of  the  cases  of  some  for  whom  she  desired  the 
prayers  of  the  servants  of  God.  Christian  friends 
brouoht  accounts  of  the  meetino's  to  her,  so  she  was 
continually  present  in  spirit,  and  her  fervent  prayers 
ascended  from  that  lone  room  in  unison  with  those 
world-wide  supplications. 


30        CONTRASTS — "  TO  TRIFLE,  AND  TO  SUFFER." 

As  she  is  obliged  to  be  continually  screened  from 
the  light,  she  cannot  see  to  read  a  small  Bible  for  her- 
self, and  her  poor  dauohter  is  often  too  ill  to  read 
aloud.  Her  little  granddaughter  now  reads  to  her  in 
a  very  large  print  copy  of  the  Psalms  we  have  supplied 
her  with.  The  Word  of  God  is  very  precious  to  her,  even 
as  conveyed  through  the  broken  spelling  and  hesitat- 
ing utterance  of  the  simple  child.     Its  mother  was  the 

babe  in  arms  when  Ann  J met  with  her  accident. 

This  little  one  is  a  great  comfort  to  her,  and  she  hopes 
a  good  work  of  God  is  going  on  in  her  heart.  They 
would  not  know  what  to  do  without  this  "  ministering 
child,"  who  fetches  everything  for  them,  and  runs  uj) 
and  down  stairs  as  the  daughter  could  not. 

One  of  the  kind  superintendents  of  our  "  Domestic 
Mission,"  to  whom  the  care  of  this  case  had  been  partly 
referred,  recently  wrote  to  us  as  follows : — "  In  the 
summer  you  commissioned  me  to  find  out  in  what  way 

it  would  be  most  desirable  to  help  Ann  J .     It  then 

appeared  as  if  she  needed  more  nourishment,  and  little 
delicacies,  such  as  were  impossible  for.  her  to  procure. 
I  therefore  undertook  to  supply  them  on  behalf  of  the 
mission.  When  I  sent  the  first  half-pint  of  custard, 
and  asked  if  she  had  liked  it,  the  daughter  answered, 
*  Oh  yes ;  she  drank  it  all  the  same  evening.'  From 
week  to  week  she  has  had  jellies  and  custards,  and 
small  helps  to  appetite,  which  seem  to  have  supported 
her  amid  unspeakable  pain  and  suffering,  so  severe, 
indeed,  as  to  prevent  her  from  seeing  any  one  but  her 
daughter. 


CONTRASTS — *'  TO  TRIFLE,  AND  TO  SUFFER."        81 

"  When,  after  two  or  three  calls,  I  found  it  would  be 
hopeless  to  expect  an  interview,  I  ceased  calling  ;  but 
a  few  weeks  since  she  sent  nie  word  that  she  very  much 
wished  to  see  the  lady  whose  jellies  and  custards  had 
done  her  so  much  good. 

"  I  went  accordingly,  and  hope  I  may  never  forget 
the  impression  that  visit  made  upon  me.  The  daughter 
crept  to  the  bed  and  whispered  who  had  arrived,  and 
then  beckoned  me  to  come  very  gently  to  her  mother's 
side.  The  state  of  her  nervous  system  renders  her  hear- 
ino;  so  acute  that  all  sound  is  excruciating^.  The  room 
was  so  darkened  that  I  could  see  nothing  for  several 
moments.  At  last  I  perceived  a  thin  white  hand  ex- 
tended towards  me,  of  which  I  took  hold,  hoping  soon 
to  find  where  the  head  of  the  poor  sufferer  lay ;  she 
drew  me  down  with  her  hand,  and  whispered,  'My 
Lord  will  reward  you.'  I  cannot  express  to  you  the 
solemn  reverence  which  then  seemed  to  come  into  my 
soul,  as  if  I  were  in  the  presence  of  one  who  lived  close 
to  God,  and  spoke  with  such  confidence  of  her  Lord, 
and  with  such  certainty  that  her  Lord  would  reward 
all  that  had  been  done  for  His  sake. 

"  I  then  said,  'Is  it  not  a  real  pleasure  to  serve  Him, 
whether  by  doing  or  suffering?'  She  said,  'Oh  yes. 
He  is  so  good  to  me.  He  has  put  it  into  the  hearts 
of  kind  friends  to  send  me  help  ever  since  I  Ve  been 
worse.  Oh,  how  I  love  Him !  He  is  with  me  here  ;  I 
could  not  lie  here  without  Him.'  After  a  little  more 
conversation  in  the  lowest  whisj^er,  which  became 
at  last  inaudible,   she  pressed  my  hand  to  her  lips 


32       CONTRASTS — "  TO  TRIFLE,  AND  TO  SUFFER." 

very  lovingly.  It  is  imjDossible  to  describe  the  touch- 
ing solemn  scene  of  that  still  chamber.  I  came  away 
feeling  as  if  I  had  been  very  near  the  gate  of  heaven, 
and  had  been  communing  with  one  who  was  almost 
home. 

"  That  interview  with  this  sanctified  child  of  God,  I 
count  one  of  the  many  blessings  which  it  has  pleased 
God  to  give  me  during  the  jjast  year,  in  visiting  for 
this  mission.'' 

It  is  but  little  that  can  be  done  to  mitigate  the  ex- 
treme sufferino;  of  this  case.  It  has  been  lona  known 
to  various  Christian  friends,  who  have  not  wearied  in 
administering  each  a  little  help — and  when  some  have 
refrained  a  while,  others  have  filled  their  place.  There 
is  nothing  more  astonishing  than  the  way  in  which 
God  supports  these  helpless  ones.  The  ravens  fed 
Elijah  at  His  command,  and  His  poor  are  not  forgotten 
any  more  than  His  prophet.  "They  shall  be  mine, 
saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  in  that  day  when  I  make  up 
my  jewels/'  Each  day  of  suffering,  borne  in  meekness, 
cuts  a  fresh  facet  to  the  gem, — "  patient  in  tribulation, 
continuing  instant  in  prayer,"  and  earnest  in  trust, 
they  are  being  fitted  to  shine  in  the  Redeemer's  crown 
— even  to  enter  the  Redeemer's  kingdom. 

"If  we  suffer  with  Him,  we  shall  also  reign  with 
Him."  "Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither 
hath  it  entered  into  your  hearts,"  poor  Sarah  and  Ann, 
"to  conceive  what  the  Lord  hath  prepared  for  them 
that  love  Him." 

And  now  havino;  brought  together  those  who  have 


CONTEASTS — ''  TO  TRIFLE,  AND  TO  SUFFER."        33 

lived  to  suffer,  and  those  who  have  hitherto  lived  to 
trifle,  can  the  latter  turn  away  from  these  beds  of  pain 
ever  to  trifle  more?  They  have  here  seen  Jesns,  and 
the  power  of  His  Word.  Deprived  of  all  that  you 
would  say  tends  to  make  life  beautiful  or  useful ;  rich 
only  in  the  passive  graces  of  patience  and  submission ; 
though  rich  also  in  faith  in  their  Lord's  treasury;  their 
life  is  one  long  utterance  of  "  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth, 
even  as  it  is  in  heaven.''  You  come  to  look  on  them 
that  you  might  learn  to  sing  the  same  song — to  take 
up  the  note  from  their  lips — and  prolong  it  in  the 
midst  of  your  youth  and  strength,  with  your  health, 
and  perhaps  wealth,  by  a  life  of  active  service  to  the 
same  Master.  They  can  stir  neither  hand  nor  foot, 
but  you  can.  Their  suffering  life  is  full  of  peace,  and 
purpose,  for  His  glory.  Shall  not  yours,  with  all  its 
gifts  and  blessings,  be  also  given  to  Him  ?  How  much 
you  have  to  bring  Him  more  than  they !  If  you  have 
seen  Him  in  this  valley  of  the  shadow — if  He  shall 
have  called  you  to  Him,  as  you  witnessed  His  love  and 
His  power  manifested  to  these,  your  poor  sisters  — 
begin  your  "Life- Work"  from  to-day. 


CHAPTER  III. 

pissing  f  inks,  ani  tl]eir  iitet 


'  The  Lord  gave  the  word :  great  was  the  company  of  those  that 
published  it." — Psalm  Ixviiu  11. 

"  In  thunder  tones  to  trembling  Israel 

Did  God  first  give  the  word ; 
In  after-years,  from  prophet  harps  inspired. 

The  Spirit's  voice  was  heard ; 
And  then,  Jehovah-Lord,  thou  didst  draw  near. 
Gently  and  unperceived,  to  human  ear — 
Thy  mighty  Godhead,  robed  in  fleshly  veil, 
And  left  Evangelists  to  tell  the  tale. 

"  Thy  chariots,  myriads  of  angels  be ; 

They  utter'd  first  the  word  ; 
Since  then  upon  how  great  a  company 

Is  the  same  gift  conferr'd  ! 
And,  as  of  yore  did  hoary  Sinai  bow, 
The  whole  earth  moves  to  meet  Thy  presence  now; 
Wider  and  wider  still,  each  opening  morn 
The  solemn  witness  of  that  word  is  borne." 


The  readers  of  the  "Missing  Link,"  and  those  who 
have  in  the  past  year — unsolicited  except  by  the  force 
of  facts — contributed  more  than  SIX  THOUSAND  POUNDS 
to  the  Female  ^lissions,  which  have  taken  the  above 
short  title,  have  a  right  to  ask  after  the  year's  work — 
and  the  answer  is  ready.  Our  first  book  told  them  of 
thirty-seven  districts  so  occupied ;  the  present  can  tell 
them  of  one  hundred  and  fifty.  It  can  tell  them  also  of 
principles  tried  and  tested.  The  Link  has,  in  general, 
been  found  trustworthy,  but  just  in  proportion  to  the 
strength  of  the  Rivet  that  attached  it  to  the  chain — 
the  chain  let  down  from  heaven — of  that  Saviour's 
love,  who,  if  "  He  be  lifted  up,"  has  said  that  He  will 
"  draw  all  men  unto  Him." 

The  Link — the  Missing  Link — yes,  thank  God,  we 
have  found  it.  He  has  added  it  to  the  other  links  of 
His  mercy,  in  the  day  of  His  power.  He  has  shewn 
us  how  to  minister  of  His  Word  to  the  lowest  among 
women — by  women  often  taken  from  among  them- 
selves. Christ's  mission,  when  on  earth,  was  "  to  seek 
and  to  save  that  which  was  lost,"  and  now  He  has 
thrust  forth  fresh  labourers  into  His  vineyard,  has 
placed  His  message  in  their  hands,  and,  keeping  them 


38  MISSING  LINKS,  AND  THEIE  EIVET. 

to  THAT — not  their  own  words,  but  His — has  bade 
them,  with  a  new  and  loving  faith  in  their  message, 
go  and  witness  for  Him  in  these  last  days. 

And  the  agency  is  now  a  year  older.  We,  who 
sympathised  with,  and  guided  the  first  missionary  in 
her  work,  have  earned  further  experience  of  that  work 
in  more  than  a  hundred  channels.  The  first  year 
taught  us  the  power  of  the  poor  woman  ivith  the  poor ; 
the  second,  the  eminent  necessity  of  finding  her  a  sister 
in  effort  from  the  class  of  her  superiors,  who  should 
be  minutely  responsible  for  all  money  transactions, 
and  who  should  share  the  labour  of  love  as  the  heart 
of  a  loving  lady  can  share  it. 

How  could  a  poor  uneducated  woman — pressed  upon, 
too,  by  hundreds  of  applicants,  with  the  pertinacity  of 
Old  St  Giles — have  been  expected  to  keep  clear  ac- 
counts of  the  clothing  and  bedding  clubs,  which  grew 
so  large  immediately  that  the  opportunity  of  cheap 
purchase  (especially  of  beds)  was  known.  There  was  an 
error  in  listening, /or  a  moment,  to  "  Marian's"  inex- 
perienced supposition  that  she  could  deal  with  it  all, 
and  that  the  visible  entrance  of  the  Lady  on  the  work 
would  spoil  it — "  for  of  the  Lady  they  would  only  beg." 
We  do  not  wonder  that  she  thought  so,  from  her  know- 
ledge of  their  habits  ;  but  since  we  have  learned  wisdom 
by  further  experiments,  and  collected  the  reports  of 
many  ladies,  we  find  that  if  the  Eible-w^oman  is  not 
allowed  to  collect  the  clothing  money  at  their  homes, 
they  will  bring  it  to  the  Lady  at  the  Mission-room, 
and  that  this  will  ofi'er  opportunity  of  all  blessing  and 


MISSING  LINKS,  AND  THEIR  EIVET.  39 

instrnction  to  tliem  besides.  A  very  large  clothmg 
club  requires  to  be  managed  by  a  lady  who  takes  that 
department  only — the  purchase  of  material,  the  cutting 
out  of  garments,  the  receipt  of  pence,  and  the  sale  of 
clothes.  The  Bible-woman  is  quite  sufficiently  occu- 
pied in  watching  and  helping  upon  this  occasion,  and 
the  responsibility  of  such  meeting  ought  as  seldom  as 
possible  to  be  wholly  thrown  upon  her. 

Wliile  there  is  enough  in  the  Clothing  Club  depart- 
ment thoroughly  to  employ  the  energies  of  one  or  more 
ladies  steadily  devoted  to  it,  the  superior  aim  of  the 
Mission  is  effected  by  the  "Mothers'  Class,"  which 
seems  to  be  the  means  most  especially  blessed  of  God 
to  the  saving  of  the  souls  of  the  people.  While  the 
Mission  is  small,  this  may  follow  the  clothing  work, 
and,  perhaps,  all  may  be  accomplished  in  one  evening 
or  afternoon  of  the  week  ;  but  when  prosperity  is  shewn 
by  increasing  numbers,  a  separate  hour  must  be  given 
to  the  Mothers'  Class,  probably  by  a  lady  or  ladies 
s|)ecially  devoted  to  that  alone.  * 

Our  delightful  experience  during  the  past  year  has 
been  that  the  ]\Iothers'  Class  has  become  neither  more 
nor  less  than  a  Bible  Class.  The  Scriptures  have  been 
preferred  by  the  poor  to  any  other  book,  and  the  ex- 
ceeding novelty  and  power  of  the  Divine  histories  over 
the  minds  of  our  London  heathen  has  often  made  the 
teacher  marvel,  and  look  up  for  grace  to  teach.  The 
teaching  of  the  Great  Teacher,  God's  Holy  Spirit,  has 
accompanied  His  Word. 

We  are  glad  to  be  able  to  present  the  testimony  of 


40  MISSING  LINKS,  AND  THEIR  EIVET. 

an  earnest  clergyman  of  the  Churcli  of  England  to  the 
effect  produced  by  the  simple  reading  of  the  Scriptures 
on  a  Mothers'  Class,  gathered  together  by  one  of  our 
agents  in  Bethnal  Green.  He  writes  to  the  lady  who, 
in  connexion  with  our  Central  Mission,  has  provided 
the  Bible-woman's  salary  for  one  year : — 

"  Deae  Fkiend, — You  will  be  glad  to  hear  that  the 
*  Bible-woman,'  (as  she  is  called,)  for  whose  services  we 
are  indebted  to  your  kind  remembrance  of  our  work 
and  wants,  is  doing  very  well  indeed.  She  is  selling 
an  extraordinary  number  of  Bibles.  The  people  here 
seem,  in  truth,  to  prefer  subscribing  for  Bibles  to  lay- 
ing by  for  clothing,  which  is,  I  am  informed,  not  com- 
monly the  case. 

"  On  Monday  evening  I  was  present,  and  assisted 
at  the  Mothers'  Meeting  over  which  my  dear  wife 
usually  presides.  I  wish  you  could  have  seen  their 
eager  attention  when  I  read  to  them.  They  leaned 
forward,  with  their  mouths  and  eyes  open,  and  liter- 
ally drank  iti  *  the  word.' 

"  I  read  to  them,  from  the  New  Testament,  several 
chapters  of  our  Lord's  miracles,  and  of  His  discourses. 
When  T  came  to  the  story  of  the  raising  of  Jairus's 
daughter,  their  faces  would  have  made  a  study  for  a 
painter.  A  big  girl  was  sitting  working  just  before 
me  across  the  table,  (she  is  in  our  Sunday  school,  and 

having  seen  Mrs  T turn  into  the  Mission-room, 

had  followed  her  ;)  she  dropped  her  v/ork,  and  sat  gazing 
like  the  rest.  I  am  quite  sure  the  story  was  new  to 
most  of  them.     Some,  possibly,  had  heard  it  before, 


MISSING  LINKS,  AND  THEIR  EIVET.  41 

though  the  Bible  is,  alas !  often  so  read  that  they  do 
not  understand  it. 

"  I  felt  quite  convinced  that  evening  that,  if  the  New 
Testament,  esj^ecially  the  Gospels,  were  read  to  the 
poor  quietly  and  naturally,  it  would  make  its  own  way, 
as  directed  by  the  Spirit,  to  their  hearts,  and  would 
awaken  a  far  higher  interest  than  other  books.  I 
believe  the  Lord  was  with  us ;  for  even  my  wife  said, 
as  we  came  home,  '  Really,  the  Gospels  seemed  quite 
new  to-night.  I  don't  know  how  it  is,  I  never  seemed 
to  enter  into  the  spirit  of  those  narratives,  and  never 
to  have  understood  them,  as  I  did  this  evening.'  * 

*  We  feel  impelled  to  transcribe  a  passage  bearing  on  this  sub- 
ject, from  a  recent  book  by  a  well-known  writer.  He  is  speaking 
of  an  audience  in  the  Britannia  Theatre,  on  a  Sunday  evening.  "A 
very  difficult  thing,"  he  says,  "  I  thought  it  to  speak  appropriately 
to  so  large  an  audience,  and  to  speak  with  tact ;  without  it,  better  not 
to  speak  at  all ;  infinitely  better  to  read  the  New  Testament  well, 
and  let  that  speak.  In  the  New  Testament  there  is  the  most  beauti- 
ful and  affecting  history  conceivable  by  man,  and  there  are  the 
terse  models  for  all  prayer  and  all  preaching.  As  to  the  models, 
imitate  them,  Sunday  preachers — else  why  are  they  there  ?  consider ! 
As  to  the  history,  tell  it.  Some  people  cannot  read,  some  will  not, 
many  find  it  hard  to  pursue  the  verse-form  in  which  this  book  is 
presented  to  them,  and  imagine  that  those  breaks  imply  gaps,  and 
want  of  continuity.  Set  forth  the  history  for  them  in  narrative, 
with  no  fear  of  exhausting  it.  You  will  never  preach  so  well,  you 
will  never  move  them  so  profoundly,  you  will  never  send  them  away 
with  half  so  much  to  think  of.  Shew  them  Christ's  choice  of  twelve 
poor  men  to  help  in  those  merciful  wonders  among  the  poor  and 
rejected.  Preachers  often  address  with  intent  to  convince  ideal 
paupers  and  infidels,  but  what  are  they  to  wretched  me,  peeping  in 
out  of  the  mud  of  the  streets,  and  of  my  life,  when  you  have  the 
widow's  son  to  tell  me  about,  the  rulers  daughter,  the  other  figure 
at  the  door,  when  the  brother  of  the  two  sisters  was  dead,  and  ona 


42  MISSING  LINKS,  AND  THEIR  EIVET. 

"  Now,  in  church,  I  fear  we  fall  into  a  conventional 
style  of  reading,  and  the  same  may  be  said  even  in  our 
own  houses.  But  the  sight  of  these  faces,  and  the 
sense  of  their  want  of  knowledge,  drove  all  mannerism 
away,  and  the  reading  became  full  of  life  and  feeling. 
Their  tears  shewed  what  they  felt. 

"  Oh,  if  every  day  these  poor  creatures  could  be  got 
together  to  listen  to  the  '  Great  Book '  till  they  all 
knew  it,  I  am  satisfied  it  would  work  wonders  !  But 
how  can  it  be  done  ?  I  have  14,000  in  my  parish,  all 
very  ignorant,  wretchedly  poor,  and  they  live — you 
have  no  idea  how  they  live.  Even  the  Bible-women 
are  appalled,  and  come  to  me  quite  ill  with  the  sights 
they  see.'' 

The  earnest  request  of  a  pastor  like  this  to  be  helped 
on  his  arduous  way  by  more  than  one  Bible-woman, 
could  not  meet  with  a  refusal. 

He  has  found  Native  Agents,  according  to  our 
favourite  principle,  in  his  own  neighbourhood ;  good 
women,  middle-aged,  pious,  and  humble,  who  have 
been  trained  in  the  school  of  affliction.  £6(i  salary 
for  the  second  applicant  we  transferred  from  our 
General  Fund ;    it  had  been  contributed  by  a  friend 


of  the  two  ran  to  the  mourner,  crying,  'The  Master  is  come  and 
calleth  for  thee.' 

"Let  the  preacher  who  will  thoroughly  forget  himself,  and  remem- 
ber no  individuality  but  one,  and  no  eloquence  but  one,  stand  up 
before  four  thousand  men  and  women  at  the  Britannia  Theatre  any 
Sunday  night,  recountiDg  that  narrative  to  them  as  fellow-creatures, 
and  he  shall  see  a  sight." — From  "  The  Uncommercial  Traveller,"  hy 
Charles  Dickens. 


MISSING  LINKS,  AND  THEIR  RIVET.  43 

to  the  Missions  of  the  Book,  on  occasion  of  the  loss  of 
,£^4000,  as  a  thank-offering  fo7'  that  ivhich  remained. 

We  are  glad  the  foregoing  impression  should  be 
made  on  the  minds  of  any  of  our  authorised  teachers, 
by  their  occasionally  doing  us  the  kindness  to  take  the 
Mothers'  Class.  Otherwise,  we  desire  humbly,  yet  ear- 
nestly, to  maintain  that  it  is  to  unoccupied  Christian 
Ladies  that  the  Bible-women  have  opened  so  large  a 
sphere  of  personal  work.  It  is  from  the  earnest  pastor's 
Bible  Class,  comp'osed  of  such  educated  ladies,  that  new 
teachers  and  helpers  of  the  poor  are  needed. 

There  has  been  a  "  missing  link  "  between  all  pas- 
toral and  even  "pastoral  aid"  work,  and  these  unsaved 
and  untaught  myriads, — the  link  of  female  agency 
safely  riveted  to  the  service  of  the  word  of  Cod. 

Full  well  for  ages  have  the  priests  of  Rome  known 
and  proved  the  power  of  this  link  ;  but  they  have 
riveted  it  to  themselves,  and  so  created  a  prejudice 
against  it  in  all  Protestant  minds  ;  and  it  is  the  Bible, 
and  nothing  short  of  the  Bible,  that  will  ever  make 
women's  weak  agency  safe  and  sure.  It  is  simple 
evangelising  work  that  is  wanted  of  them — what  Sfc 
Paul  means  in  the  6th  of  Hebrews,  "  laying  the  foun- 
dation of  repentance  from  dead  works,  and  of  faith 
toward  God,"  and,  as  the  margin  reads,  "  teaching  the 
word  of  the  beginning  of  Christ" — the  alphabet  of 
Christianity — "  first  principles  " — just  bringing  the 
people  to  Jesus. 

An  amiable  yoimg  gentleman  of  a  modern  school, 
one  who  reminded  us  of  him  of  old  to  whom  our 


44  MISSING  LINKS,  AND  THEIR  EIVET. 

Lord  said,  "  Go  and  sell  all  that  tliou  hast,  and  come, 
follow  me,"  replied  to  this  statement,  "  Oh,  hut  there 
is  a  great  deal  to  he  done  hefore  that!''  He  had  raised 
up  in  his  mind  the  image  of  a  poor,  unlettered  woman, 
called  to  meet  the  arguments  of  scoffing  infidels  ;  and 
"what  could  she  do  but  refer  them  to  her  clergyman?" 
We  knew,  from  experience  of  the  fact,  that  they  would 
be  very  likely  to  decline  the  reference ;  but  that  if  she 
went  forth  with  the  "  sword  of  the  Spirit,  which  is  the 
word  of  God,"  God  might  use  the  weak  things  of  the 
earth  to  confound  the  mighty,  and  the  victory  be  all 
His  own. 

The  truth  is,  our  teachers  want  a  people  "  preparea 
of  the  Lord;"  and  this  preparation  is  only  accom- 
plished by  an  individual  delivery  to  them  of  the  Divine 
message.  All  reformations  and  revivals  of  religion 
have  been  connected  with  a  return  to  God's  law;  all 
errors  an  1  falsities  have  been  built  up  by  supposing 
that  the  people  cannot  understand  it. 

"  It  is  very  pleasant  to  me  to  write  about  our  Bible- 
women's  Mission,"  continues  our  candid  clerical  friend 
of  Bethnal  Green.  "  They  are  working,  I  believe,  con- 
scientiously ;  there  is  even  enthusiasm  in  their  work. 
It  is  the  one  thing  they  talk  and  think  about.  If  it 
goes  on  well,  you  see  it  in  their  faces ;  and  you  read 
there  also  their  unhappiness  and  restlessness  if  there 
is  anything  wrong. 

"How  it  is,  I  don't  know,  but  they  seem  to  me  to 
be  much  more  successful  with  their  own  sex  than  we 
are.      Certainly  their  sympathy  with  the  distress  of 


MISSING  LINKS,  AND  THEIR  RIVET.  45 

those  they  visit  is  real  and  natural,  with  nothing 
affected,  nothing  of  condescension,  nothing  official 
about  it,  and  this  goes  a  great  way.  But  our  sym- 
pathy I  thought  real  also.  I  take  this,  however,  as  a 
proof  that  there  was  something  not  quite  right  about 
us.  Perhaps  I  ought  to  say  is,  for  I  am  not  sure  that 
that  something,  whatever  it  is,  is  quite  purged  out 
of  us  yet. 

"  I  consider  it  also  a  great  advantage  to  the  Bible- 
women  that  there  is  nothing  distinctive  or  peculiar  in 
their  dress.  They  come  to  the  j^oor  as  one  of  them- 
selves, sit  down  by  them  in  sickness,  or  any  other 
trouble,  as  one  of  their  neighbours  ;  they  talk  to  them 
in  their  own  language,  aiid  are,  and  appear,  as  one  of 
their  own  class.  There  is,  therefore,  nothing  to  dis- 
turb their  intercourse  ;  no  prejudice  to  be  overcome, 
no  misunderstanding  to  be  explained  away ;  nothing 
diverts  their  attention  from  the  subject,  and  if  the 
Bible-woman  is  earnest,  and  has  tact,  she  is  quite  sure 
to  create  an  interest  in  her  favour. 

"  Still  there  is  something  to  learn,  and  I  want  to 
know  how  these  women  have  been  successful,  where 
we  with,  I  hope,  equal  earnestness  and  zeal,  have  failed 
or  seemed  to  fail.  I  could  tell  you  of  many  instances 
of  decided  conversion,  (so  far  as  I  can  judge,)  in  which 
one  of  the  Bible-women  has  been  the  chief,  if  not  the 
only  agent.  One  of  these  cases  was  remarkable.  A 
poor  woman  was  visited,  by  one  of  your  women,  at  a 
time  when  she  was  in  great  trouble.  Gradually  con- 
fidence was  established,  and  all  the  grief,  with  all  its 


46  MISSING  LINKS,  AND  THEIE  RIVET. 

secret  complexities,  was  revealed.  The  reading  of  the 
Bible  was  suggested  ;  it  was  taken  down  from  the  shelf, 
dusted,  and  read ;  then  followed  prayer,  with  many- 
tears  ;  then  more  conversation,  with  greater  confidence 
and  frankness ;  then  help  was  sought  of  ns  by  the 
Bible-woman,  and  sought  with  as  much  earnestness  as 
if  the  distress  were  her  own. 

"The  poor  woman,  in  fact,  had  found  an  earnest 
and  sincere  friend,  who  never  left  her  till  her  distress 
was  effectually  reHeved — till,  as  she  herself  said,  she 
was  '  out  of  her  trouble.'  But  a  great  lesson  had  been 
learned.  Meanwhile,  the  Bible  had  secured,  in  this  poor 
family,  a  new  interest.  They  began  to  read  it  daily. 
I  say  they,  because  the  husband  soon  took  the  same 
view  of  things  as  his  wife,  and  went  with  her  entirely 
in  the  new  career  on  which  she  had  entered.  To  say 
all  in  one  sentence,  this  230or  family  became  a  Bible- 
reading,  praying,  worshipping,  and  really  a  godly 
family ;  and  they  continued  steadfast  in  the  course  so 
happily  entered  upon. 

"Now,  there  is  nothing  very  striking  or  peculiar 
about  all  this,  but  it  has,  for  that  very  reason,  more 
importance  in  my  estimation.  This,  it  seems  to  me,  is 
the  great  work  to  be  done  by  these  women,  and  they 
are  doing  it.  In  houses  where  at  first  they  met  with 
rough  treatment  and  abuse,  they  have  succeeded  in 
establishing  themselves,  even  at  the  request  of  their 
former  revilers,  as  welcome  guests.  Their  coming  is 
now  looked  forward  to  with  pleasant  anticipations. 
Rude  blasphemers  have  been  soothed  down  into  quiet 


MlSSma  LINKS,  AND  THEIR  RIVET.  47 

listeners.  They  now  not  only  listen  to,  but  ask  for 
the  Bible.  In  one  remarkable  instance,  the  reaclino; 
of  the  parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son  was  blessed  to  a 
man  who,  having  driven  the  Bible-woman  from  his 
own  door,  yet  listened  to  her  reading  in  a  neighbour's 
house  afterwards.  To  him  the  Bible  is  all  a  new  book, 
and  of  all  books  the  most  wonderful.  He  is  always 
ready  to  hear  it ;  he  desires,  seeks  it.  Fallen  women, 
too,  have  been  restored ;  and,  in  short,  all  that  the  best 
friends  of  the  poor  could  wish  is  now,  I  believe,  in  the 
way  to  be  accomplished." 

Never  have  the  Missions  of  the  Book  been  so  mar- 
vellously brought  before  the  world  as  in  the  past  year. 
God  has  set  an  especial  mark  of  success  and  of  His 
support  on  all  delivery  of  the  message  of  His  own 
Word.  Wherever  humble  attempts  have  been  made 
to  circulate  it,  or  to  ex23lain  it,  by  the  help  of  His 
Spirit,  in  Bible  classes,  whether  among  poor  men  in 
St  Giles's,  to  young  workwomen  in  Central  Homes,  or 
to  thriftless,  ragged  mothers  at  our  weekly  meetings, 
further  good  has  sprung  up  for  the  parties  addressed, 
as  if  to  draw  attention  to  it. 

And  in  no  year  of  the  earth's  history  have  so  many, 
in  all  countries,  met  together,  in  groups,  to  study  the 
priceless  pages  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  whether  by  the 
firesides  of  quiet  homes,  or  in  Mission-rooms  of  all 
descriptions,  even  from  the  i3alace  to  the  cellar. 

We  cannot  refrain  from  introducing  here  a  sketch 
of  Mrs  Bayly's  Bible-teaching.  Her  name  is  so  well 
known  that  it  needs  no  comment.    With  the  assistance 


48  MISSING  LINKS,  AND  THEIE  EIVET. 

of  her  Bible-woman,  "  Maegaket,"  she  had  collected 
together,  partly  by  the  inducement  of  a  tea,  seven-and- 
twenty  of  the  most  wretched  or  degraded  mothers  she 
could  find  in  the  district,  who  never  would  think  of 
coming  to  her  large  Mothers'  Class,  which  had  grown, 
she  says,  "too  respectable  :" — • 

"  What  histories  were  written  on  many  of  these  wan 
and  sorrowful  faces ! — the  traces  of  the  '  last  beating ' 
were  to  be  seen,  the  pinched  look  of  semi-starvation, 
the  reckless  despair  consequent  on  inveterate  drinking, 
the  fretful  fretted  spirit  that  had  done  its  work  in 
removing  every  trace  of  early  beauty.  Yes,  all  this, 
and  much  more ;  and  as  the  tea  and  talk  went  on  to- 
gether, and  as  one  little  history  came  out  after  another, 
we  found  that,  whether  adapted  for  the  office  or  not 
adapted,  the  company  before  us  were  mistresses  of 
establishments  varying  from  three  or  four  to  thirteen 
or  fourteen  in  number/' 

After  tea,  the  women  were  seated  round  the  room, 
and  a  chair  was  left  for  the  lady  at  a  little  table,  on 
which  lay  the  Bible.  "  I  opened  and  read,  '  Then  drew 
near  unto  him  all  the  publicans  and  sinners  for  to  hear 
him.'  I  stopped,  and  made  a  little  sketch  of  that  pro- 
bable company. 

"The  dishonest  man  was  there,  the  erring  woman, 
the  disobedient  child,  covetous,  extortioner,  drunkard, 
and  perhaps,  too,  some  ignorant,  careless  mothers,  who 
had  never  once  in  their  lives  asked  God  to  teach  them 
what  to  do  with  the  wonderful  little  body  and  soul  He 
had  committed  to  their  keeping.     The  Pharisees  need 


MISSING  LINKS,  AND  THEIK  KIVET.  49 

not  have  murmured,  but  we  cannot  blame  them  for 
wondering  that  Jesus  should  receive  such  people  and 
eat  with  them. 

"  To  those  who  have  never  spoken  to  such  an  audi- 
ence as  this,  it  would  be  impossible  to  convey  an  idea 
of  the  force,  the  power,  and  perfect  adaptation  of  the 
terms  used  in  the  parable  that  follows,  of  the  prodigal 
son.  Listen:  '  Took  his  journey  into  a  far  country;' 
'  wasted  his  substance  with  riotous  living  ; '  '  spent  all ; ' 
'began  to  be  in  want;'  'sent  into  his  fields  to  feed 
swine ;'  'no  man  gave  unto  him ; '  '  perish  with 
hunger.'  No  wonder  that,  as  I  went  on,  these  poor 
creatures  manifested,  by  their  eager  countenances  and 
breathless  stillness,  that  they  had  recognised  themselves. 
And  was  it  for  such  as  they  that  the  Father  was  watch- 
ing ?  and  when  they  were  yet  a  great  way  off,  would 
He  see  them,  and  have  comj)assion  on  them,  and  run 
to  meet  them,  and  receive  them  back,  not  as  culprits, 
but  to  bestow  upon  them  all  the  honours  of  conquerors  ? 
Ah!  how  many  hard  faces  then  softened;  how  many 
stony  hearts,  that  vice,  and  suffering,  and  harshness  had 
frozen  up  for  years,  melted  into  tears  as  we  went  on 
with  the  loving  words  ! 

"  At  eight  o'clock  we  left  them  with  their  good  friend 
Margaret.  We  knew  how  well  she  could  follow  up 
the  impression,  and  we  knew  they  would  be  more  likely 
to  speak  unreservedly  to  her  than  to  us.  They  told 
her  they  could  scarcely  believe  such  good  news ;  they 
had  felt  hopeless  and  helpless  for  years,  and  thought 
that  no  one  either  in  heaven  or  earth  cared  for  them ; 


50  MISSING  LINKS,  AND  THEIR  EIVET. 

no  one  but  themselves  could  imagine  the  weariness  of 
the  life  they  led,  always  sinning  and  suffering ;  they 
would  give  anything  in  the  world  to  alter  their  course, 
and  find  a  better  way  of  going  on  ;  they  begged  their 
friend  to  pray  with  them  again  and  again.  Margaret 
says  that  one  of  them  would  not  leave  her  till  a  late 
hour ;  she  was  afraid  to  go  away.  It  seemed  to  her 
like  losing  sight  of  the  rope  that  was  to  bring  her  up 
out  of  the  horrible  pit  in  which  she  had  spent  so  many 
terrible  years.  The  next  evening  four  of  them  returned 
to  Margaret's  room,  begging  her  to  talk  to  them,  and 
pray  with  them  again.  Margaret  says  that,  as  she  is 
going  her  rounds,  they  will  come  out  to  her  and  ask 
her  to  come  in  and  spend  a  few  minutes  in  j^rayer  with 
them. 

"  We  had  asked  these  poor  women  to  meet  us  one 
afternoon  in  the  week  for  about  one  hour  and  a  half. 
Seventeen  came  the  second  time.  Nothing  can  equal 
the  intense  earnestness  with  which  they  listen  to  the 
reading  of  the  Scriptures.  They  seem  at  once  to  have 
realised  that  the  leaves  of  this  tree  are  for  their  heal- 
ing. At  the  close,  they  requested  that  the  next  meet- 
ing might  be  extended  to  two  hours/' 


Now  we  can  bear  testimony  that,  in  the  last  two 
years,  weekly  meetings  like  these  have  multiplied 
"  down  among  the  dens,"  by  a  continual  reproduction 
all  over  London ;    they  are  every  week  increasing  in 


MISSING  LINKS,  AND  THEIR  EIVEr.  51 

number,  and  yielding  their  fruits  to  the  glory  of  God.. 
The  poor  women,  warmed,  gradually  clothed,  and  com- 
forted, say  these  Mission-rooms  are  like  heaven. 

The  lady  or  ladies  who  preside,  and  are  responsible 
for  the  money  taken,  and  who  will  forego  any  engage- 
ment of  a  pleasurable  kind  to  keep  punctual  with  their 
''mothers,''  declare  that  "no  evenings  in  the  week  are 
like  these  to  them." 

Wliy  is  this,  and  what  makes  it  so  ?  The  spirit  of 
Eevival  from  the  Lord  is  amongst  us,  and  He  stirs  up 
all  concerned  to  prayer.  He  has  used  the  straits  of 
last  summer  and  winter  to  soften  the  hearts  of  the  poor. 

Their  desire  for  the  histories  of  God's  Word  to  be  read 
to  them,  both  from  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  is 
continually  increasing.  The  Bible-woman,  in  her 
rounds,  is  often  asked  to  repeat  a  verse  or  two  which 
may  have  been  dwelling  on  their  minds.  "  I  believe 
God  sent  you  to  my  house,"  says  one.  "  What  would 
I  do  without  you  now  ? "  says  another.  "  What  has 
been  done  to  my  wife  at  your  Mission-room  ? "  adds  a 
husband.  "She  is  not  like  the  same  woman — she 
never  swears  at  me  now ;  and  look  at  that  table — I 
bought  it  with  what  I  should  have  spent  in  drink  but 
for  her  altered  temper."  This  same  man,  having  been 
present  at  Mr  Whitwell's  exhibition  of  Dissolving 
Views,  illustrative  of  Scripture  subjects,  was  so  struck 
with  astonishment  that  he  could  not  slee]}.  His  wife 
said  he  persuaded  the  landlady  of  their  house  to  read 
the  passages  to  which  the  views  had  referred.  Another 
man  was  so  impressed  by  what  he  saw  and  heard  on 


52  MISSING  LINKS,  AND  THEIii  EI  VET. 

the  occasion,  that  lie  went  to  a  place  of  worship  three 
times  on  the  next  Sunday,  notwithstanding  the  scoffs 
of  his  companions.  These  are  but  few  of  numberless 
instances  which  the  Bible-women  have  reported  to  us 
of  the  effect  of  picture-teaching  on  our  ignorant  poor. 
They  are  in  many  respects  like  children,  and  are  equally 
imjDressed  by  the  visible. 

Another  says  : — "  I  met,  in  my  district,  with  a  young 
woman  to  whom  I  had  given  a  ticket  for  Mr  Whit- 
well's  Scripture  pictures.  She  told  me  that  when  the 
picture  of  young  Timothy  was  shewn,  she  thought  she 
should  have  broken  her  heart,  as  it  brought  her  own 
dear  mother  to  her  mind.  Her  parents  were  both 
alive,  and  did  not  know  where  she  was ;  but,  she  said, 
*  I  did  as  the  good  man  told  us  ;  I  did  go  to  Jesus  with 
all  my  sins,  and  now  I  am  going  home  to  my  earthly 
father  and  mother,  and  I  have  prayed  that  God  will 
make  them  kind  to  me,  and  forgive  me.  I  should  have 
gone  before,  but  I  wanted  to  see  you  before  I  went  away. 
May  God  bless  you,  for  if  you  had  not  given  me  that 
ticket,  I  should  not  have  found  my  precious  Saviour.' 

"  I  asked  her  to  tell  me  her  name,  but  she  would 
not ;  she  said,  '  It  does  not  matter ;  I  have  been  very 
wicked,  and  have  brought  such  disgrace  on  my  family, 
that  I  have  changed  my  name  ;  but  if  I  live,  I  will  write 
to  you,  and  if  not,  I  will  be  one  of  the  first  to  welcome 
you  when  you  come  "  home." '  She  said  that  her  com- 
panion had  gone  into  one  of  the  penitents'  houses,  and 
she  would  have  gone  too,  but  she  trusted  that  her  own 
parents  would  receive  her  back  again." 


MISSING  LINKS,  AND  THEIE  EIVET.  53 

Our  kind  friend  from  Kendal  again  exhibited  in 
London  his  beautiful  Dissolving  Views,  in  the  month 
of  November  last,  to  the  great  delight  of  his  chosen 
audiences,  viz.,  the  jDOor  women  attached  to  our  Mis- 
sions and  their  husbands.  We  arranged  for  their  ad- 
mission by  tickets  gratuitously,  every  night  in  a  fresh 
quarter,  bringing  eight  or  ten  districts  to  the  same 
point.  Their  expressions  of  gratitude  for  this  kind- 
ness, and  of  interest  in  the  Holy  Book  illustrated,  were 
evidently  genuine.  The  story  of  the  Crucifixion  and 
of  the  Prodigal  Son,  as  well  as  many  others,  were 
earnestly  asked  for,  at  the  Bible- readings  in  the 
Mothers'  Classes  afterwards ;  and  these  impressions 
were  thus  conveyed  at  once  to  many  thousands  of  the 
lowest  poor  in  all  parts  of  the  metropolis. 

Many  have  said  they  had  no  notion  the  Bible  was 
so  grand  a  book.  The  impression  produced  at  these 
meetings  is  very  solemnising,  Mr  Whitwell's  own  mode 
of  comment  being  alike  simple  and  touching.  Prayer 
often  followed  the  exhibition,  offered  by  the  people 
themselves.  Every  Postal  District  has  shared  in  the 
benefit,  and  it  will  serve  as  a  very  practical  connecting 
link  to  our  Bible  work  all  over  the  metropolis.  It 
took  nearly  a  month  to  make  the  circuit,  and  such  are 
the  numbers  to  be  considered,  that  if  the  lecturer  could 
speak  to  seven  hundred  a  night,  for  ten  years,  five 
times  in  the  week,  he  would  not  then  have  exhibited 
his  beautiful  pictures  to  all  the  poor  of  the  million- 
peopled  city. 

From  these  Bible-readings  and  Bible-teachings  there 


54  MISSING  LINKS,  AND  THEIR  EIVET. 

has  sprung  wp  among  the  peoj)le  a  strong  desire  for 
prayer.  They  have  learned  to  know  one  another  at 
the  Mission-room,  and  by  twos  and  threes  they  lay  each 
other's  cares  and  griefs  before  God.  They  feel  most  at 
ease,  perhaps,  in  doing  this  with  the  Bible- woman  alone; 
a  wife  becomes  very  anxious  for  the  soul  of  her  hus- 
band, and  they  pray  for  him  ;  then  they  pray  for  their 
street,  and  for  the  most  wicked  people  in  it ;  they  do 
so  day  after  day,  and  notwithstanding  all  the  infirmities 
of  the  workers,  and  the  weakness  of  the  instruments, 
(and  we  are  always  ready  to  confess  both,)  God  pours 
down  the  blessing.  Some  soul  ready  to  perish  is  given 
to  their  prayers.     Who  would  dare  hinder  them  ? 

This  gathering  of  a  few  poor  mothers  in  the  Mis- 
sion-room for  prayer  is  a  very  important  and  fresh 
element  in  the  work.  It  meets  the  utter  ignorance  of 
the  real  nature  of  prayer  that  prevails,  and  is  so  often 
expressed  in  the  confession,  "  I  try  to  pray,  but  can 
never  find  any  words." 

The  following  is  an  entry  in  a  Bible  woman's  journal : — 

''Five  women  came  to  the  prayer-meeting,  one  of 
whom  had  not  been  before.  As  the  others  told  me, 
one  after  another,  what  they  wished  me  to  pray  for,  she 
said,  *  I  never  thought  of  praying  for  such  things  as 
you  are  going  to  pray  for.'  Then  the  others  described 
how  God  had  heard  and  answered  the  prayers  that 
had  been  offered  at  our  little  meetings." 

The  progress  of  the  Bible  mission  work  awakens  an 
ever-increasing  consciousness  of  the  multitude  of  humau 
beings  who  crowd  our  streets  and  courts.     Each  month 


MISSING  LINKS,  AND  THEIR  ElVET.  55 

adds  to  the  number  to  be  watched  over  and  cared  for, 
and  still  there  are  endless  multitudes  living  on  in  their 
heathenism,  for  whose  souls,  practically,  no  one  seems 
to  care.  The  feeling  is  sometimes  almost  overwhelm- 
ing, th:it  while  certainly  something  has  been  done,  so 
much  more  remains  unattempted. 

Even  at  the  end  of  her  two  years'  work,  it  is  recorded 
of  Cromer  Street  district  by  "Haeriet"  : — 

"  Found  a  family  without  the  Bible,  but  the  woman 
said,  '  I  will  begin  to  pay  for  a  large-print  one  at 
once.'  Her  little  back  kitchen  was  clean,  although 
there  was  not  a  chair  to  sit  down  on.  Found  two 
families  without  the  Bible  in  the  next  house.  One 
woman  said  the  Bible  was  only  fit  for  those  who  had 
nothing  else  to  do,  but  she  was  too  poor  to  pay  any 
attention  to  religion.  I  asked  her  if  she  ever  thought 
that  Gud  cared  for  her.  She  said,  '  No,  slie  was  too 
poor.'  I  then  read  a  few  verses  of  God's  Word  to  her. 
She  said,  'That  is  not  for  us  poor  people;'  but  after  a 
little  more  conversation,  she  asked  for  the  loan  of  the 
book,  that  she  might  shew  it  to  her  husband." 

In  the  same  house,  previous  visits  had  borne  some  fruit. 

The  Bible-woman  is  told,  "  I  am  so  glad  you  ever 
came  into  my  room ;  my  girl  was  ashamed  that  you 
found  the  place  so  dirty.  She  has  promised  me  it  shall 
never  be  so  again,  and  I  have  to  work  all  the  week 
away  from  home." 

At  another  place  : — 

"  Found  Mrs  0 's  room  in  a  very  dirty  state,  and 

scarcely  any  clothes  on  either  herself  or  her  children. 


56  MISSING  LINKS,  AND  THEIE  PJVET. 

She  was  working  a  beautiful  lace  dress  in  the  midst  of 
this  dirt/' 

But  nearly  three  months  after,  during  which  time 
Mrs  0 had  regularly  attended  the  mothers'  meet- 
ing— "  Found  the  room  quite  clean.  She  said  she  felt 
much  better  since  she  had  cleared  away  the  cobwebs 
and  dirt.     Before,  she  was  never  well,  nor  the  children.'' 

A  Sunday-evening  class  for  girls  is  much  valued. 
All  are  at  work  during  the  week,  many  employed  in 
waiting  upon  artificial-flower  makers.  Out  of  an  ave- 
rage attendance  of  thirty,  very  few  can  read.  They 
take  great  delight  in  singing  hymns,  the  meaning  of 
which  is  carefully  explained,  and  frequently  made  the 
basis  of  the  Scripture  lesson.  Though  all  are  over 
twelve  years  of  age,  they  require  as  much  variety  as  a 
class  of  infants  to  keep  their  attention  thoroughly  en- 
gaged. One  of  the  youngest  of  this  class,  a  small  inter- 
esting-looking child,  one  day  brought  the  invitation, 
"  Mother  will  be  glad  to  see  you,  if  you  will  call  when 
father  is  out."  The  Bible-woman  went.  ''  How  o-lad 
I  am  that  you  have  come  ;  my  eldest  girl  is  very  ill,  and 
would  not  let  me  rest  till  I  sent  for  you."  The  poor 
girl  said,  "  I  am  so  glad  I  came  to  you  to  hear  of  the 
love  of  Jesus.  Will  you  talk  to  my  parents  about  their 
souls,  as  you  did  to  us?  My  father  does  such  wicked 
things,  and  he  beats  mother  if  she  will  not  do  the  same." 

I  spoke  solemnly  to  the  woman  about  her  state.  She 
said,  "  My  life  is  very  miserable.  My  husband  is  so 
cruel,  I  cannot  speak  to  him.  He  makes  great  profit 
out  of  his  house,  but  it  all  seems  to  go  faster  than  it 


MISSING  LINKS,  AND  THEIR  RIVET.  57 

comes.  My  girl  was  very  well  till  she  came  to  you; 
since  then  she  has  been  constantly  fretting  about  the 
wickedness  which  is  going  on  amongst  us,  and  telling  me 
she  is  sure  God  is  very  angry  with  us.  But  what  am 
I  to  do  V  I  begged  her  to  pray  for  God's  Holy  Sj^irit 
to  teach  her  what  to  do,  which  she  promised,  and  asked 
me  to  pray  for  her,  and  to  come  again  soon. 

At  the  second  visit  the  Bible-woman  is  told  she  may 
go  all  over  the  house  if  she  likes.  She  only  finds  one 
of  the  inmates  at  home.  "  Her  room  was  the  picture 
of  wretchedness.'*  The  woman  had  two  little  children. 
I  asked  her  if  she  had  a  Bible.  She  said,  "  What  is 
that?"  I  shewed  her  one,  and  said,  "This  is  God's 
book ;  it  tells  of  His  love  to  such  as  you  and  me."  She 
said,  ''  I  never  heard  of  it  before  ;  I  am  very  wretched, 
tired  of  my  life."  This  conversation  also  ended  in  a 
promise  to  subscribe  for  "  God's  book." 

Four  months  after,  a  whispered  invitation  is  received 
to  come  to-morrow  morning  to  this  abode  of  wretched- 
ness. She  finds  its  mistress  "just  going  to  take  a 
young  woman  to  one  of  the  homes  for  the  fallen.  '  I 
have  sent  for  you  that  you  may  pray  for  this  girl  and 
me,  before  I  take  her  away  from  this  house,  and  do  ask 
that  God  may  give  me  a  different  way  of  getting  my 
living.'  The  elder  girl  is  now  in  a  situation,  and  the 
younger  brought  me  the  welcome  news  one  Sunday 
evening,  '  Father  has  done  no  work  to-day,  and  he  did 
not  say  to  me,  Shut  up  your  Bible.' " 

Sometimes  the  light  shed  by  the  Word  alone  into 
these  dark  homes  is  unexpectedly  revealed.     "A  lad, 


58  MISSING  LINKS,  AND  THEIR  PJVET. 

who  had  bought  a  Testament,  came  cut  and  asked  me 
to  come  and  see  his  father,  as  he  was  then  sober.  The 
man  said,  '  What  have  you  done  to  my  boy  ?  he  is  not 
like  the  same.  He  never  gives  me  any  cause  to  beat 
him  now.  I  daresay  you  do  not  remember  me,  but  I 
was  among  those  who  abused  you  a  long  time  ago  in 

A Place.     I  can  never  forget  the  words  you  read 

out  of  that  Book.'  Then,  shewing  me  a  Bible,  he  added, 
'  Everything  is  gone  but  this,  and  I  will  keep  it  as  long 
as  I  live,  for  it  was  this  Book  that  led  me  to  Jesus, 
who,  I  know,  has  sent  you  now  to  save  us  from  starv- 
ing/' 

Yes,  the  Book  is  listened  to,  often  wheee  hu- 
man SYSTEMS  OF  WORSHIP  ARE  REJECTED.  A  man, 
whom  his  wife  had  represented  as  an  infidel,  said,  on 
being  asked  to  come  to  the  Mission-room  on  Sunday 
evening,  "  I  am  so  tired  of  hearing  people  talk  about 
religion,  I  hate  the  very  name  of  it ;  but  if  it  is  only 
the  Bible  that  is  your  religion,  I  will  come,  and  gladly 
too." 

"  Visited  the  woman,  who  once  told  me  she  was  glad 
I  should  not  have  to  come  there  again,  when  her  hus- 
band had  paid  for  the  Bible.  I  said,  '  Has  his  reading 
the  Bible  made  your  life  miserable,  as  you  thought  it 
would  ? '  *  No,  my  home  is  more  bappy  now  than  ever 
it  was ;  and  my  husband  is  so  kind,  I  cannot  refuse  to 
go  with  him  to  chapel,  and  to  let  him  read  and  pray,  if 
he  likes  ;  though  I  cannot  understand  why  he  is  so  fond 
of  that  book,  it  is  always  in  his  hands  when  he  is  not 
at  work." 


MISSING  LINKS,  AND  THEIR  RIVET.  59 

Thus,  then,  although  hopes  are  sometimes  disap- 
pointed and  many  good  impressions  are  resisted,  some 
seed  does  fall  on  good  ground  and  brings  forth  praise 
to  Him  who  has  said,  "  My  Word  shall  not  return  unto 
me  void,  but  shall  accomplish  that  which  I  please,  and 
prosper  in  the  thing  whereto  I  sent  it." 


At  a  similar  meeting  in  Kentish  Town,  a  dozen  of 
the  husbands  were  asked  to  a  tea-supper,  with  their 
wives,  who  most  regularly  attended  the  Mission-room. 
After  tea,  one  of  the  men  rose  up,  and,  in  very  simple 
language,  said,  "  I  am  a  working-man,  and  I  can't 
make  a  speech ;  but  I  think  I  ought  to  tell  my  bro- 
thers what  I  was,  and  what  God  has  done  for  me. 

"  Eio'ht  months  aoo  I  did  not  know  that  there  was 
a  Jesus  Christ.  I  tried  all  sorts  of  ways  to  get  com- 
fortable in  my  mind,  but  they  all  failed.  At  last  light 
has  broke  in  upon  me,  and  I  have  joined  a  Bible- 
class,  and  I  hioiu  there  is  a  Jesus  now,  for  He  has  for- 
given my  sins :  and  I  wish  all  my  friends  here  would 
try  Him  for  themselves  ;  I  am  sure  it  will  make  them 
happier,  and  their  wives,  too,  and  their  homes,  too  1 '' 

There  will  be  yet  lower  links  tlian  the  Bible-women 
in  the  chain  of  God's  blessing !  There  will  be  no  mis- 
sionaries to  compare  to  those  rescued  men  and  women, 
who  have  known  the  misery  from  which  they  want  to 
save  others — who  have  been  down  in  the  gulph,  and 
who  have  been  brought  up  to  sit  at  the  feet  of  Jesus. 


60  MISSING  LINKS,  AND  THEIR  RIVET. 

We  may  be  startled  at  their  strong  figures  of  speech ; 
but  when  they  are  filled  with  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  which  shall  have  cast  out  from  them  "  seven 
devils,"  they  will  know  their  audience  as  we  can  never 
know  them,  and  they  will  paint  their  own  word- 
pictures,  so  that  none  shall  dispute  their  power.  Let 
us  not  judge  of  them  by  the  scale  of  our  educational 
refinement.  It  is  out  of  these  depths  that  souls  must 
be  brought  to  cry  unto  the  Lord,  and  that  He  will  save 
them ;  and  can  we  dare  to  dispute  His  righteous  will 
in  beginning  with  the  lowest  ?  "  He  came  to  seek  and 
to  save  that  which  was  lost;"  and  it  is  impossible 
further  to  doubt  that  the  presence  of  His  Spirit  is 
manifest  in  the  midst  of  us. 

It  is  two  thousand  and  five  hundred  years  ago  since 
the  prophet  Ezekiel  beheld  the  Divine  Glory,  in  a 
bright  mystery  of  cherubic  heads,  and  wings,  and 
wheels,  forsake  the  threshold  of  the  Lord's  house  in 
the  midst  of  idolatrous  Jerusalem,  (Ezek.  viii.,)  passing 
to  mountain  summits  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  city 
ere  it  was  lost  to  human  gaze. 

Once  more,  on  Tabor's  crest,  six  hundred  years  later 
in  the  world's  history,  the  visible  glory  of  the  Godhead 
invested  the  mortal  body  which  cJur  Lord  Jehovah  had 
taken  to  Himself  as  a  veil,  enwrapt  in  which  He  might 
accomplish  the  work  of  man's  redemption.  That  body 
was  etherealised  by  the  effulgence  of  the  Deity  within, 
and  to  His  amazed  disciples  "  His  face  did  shine  as  the 
sun,  and  His  raiment  was  white  as  the  light,  while  He 
was  transfigured  before  them." 


MISSING  LINKS,  AND  THEIR  EI  VET.  61 

These  visible  manifestations  of  Divinity  must  have 
thrown  all  fairy  creations  of  man's  imagination  into 
deepest  shade  by  contrast ;  and  yet  even  their  magni- 
ficence is  limited  in  comparison  with  that  pervasive 
power  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  now  shed  abroad  in  the 
earth,  and  which  is  daily  perceptible  to  the  children  of 
God,  who  are  working  for  Him,  and  listening  for  the 
sound  of  His  chariot-wheels.  Weak  and  weary  and 
imperfect  as  all  His  servants  are  in  themselves,  still 
He  chooses  them  and  uses  them  as  the  instruments  of 
His  work  in  this  world. 

He  has  left  them  His  Woed.  He  has,  within  the 
last  half-century,  given  them  the  heart  and  the  power 
to  render  that  Word  into  almost  all  the  languages  of 
the  scattered  family  of  Adam.  He  has  sent  them  forth 
to  preach  the  "  good  news  "  to  all  nations  ;  and  feeble 
and  partial  and  bounded  as  their  efforts  to  fulfil  His 
command  have  been,  long  buried  as  the  good  seed  tliey 
cast  abroad  has  seemed,  it  was  imperishable  seed,  and 
no  grain  that  fell  into  the  earth,  v/ith  faith  and  prayer, 
from  the  hand  of  the  sowers,  who  often  watered  it  with 
tears,  but  is  now  beginning  to  bear  fruit. 

The  Bible- women  are  permitted  to  be  fellow- workers 
with  all  who  have  gone  before — they  have  often  gleaned 
the  full  ear,  which  has  been  the  harvest  of  seed  sown 
in  a  former  day  by  other  hands  than  theirs.  By  many 
a  faithful  Pastor,  and  loving  District -visitor  ;  by  Scrip- 
ture-reader, City-missionary,  and  Sunday-school  teacher  ; 
by  many  a  member  of  a  Ladies'  Bible  Association,  has 
the  same  seed  been  sown  broad-cast  in  the  last  half- 


62  MISSING  LINKS,  AND  THEIR  EIVET. 

century.  Yea!  are  not  the  Bible- women  the  fruit  of 
such  labour? 

Though  now  removed  or  summoned  to  their  rest,  all 
former  workers  await  their  reward  from  Him  who  for- 
gets no  true  sacrifice,  small  or  great,  which  His  people 
have  laid  on  His  altar ;  He  passes  by  nothing  whatever 
which  has  been  done  in  His  strength  or  for  His  sake : 
"  He  is  not  unrighteous,  to  forget  any  work  or  labour 
of  love  which  ye  have  shewed  towards  His  name." 
Such  perfect  knowledge  "  is  too  wonderful  for  us,  we 
cannot  attain  unto  it."  If  we  could  so  far  lift  our  eyes 
above  what  we  are  doing  ourselves,  how  should  we 
from  the  height  of  omniscience  look  down  in  grief  and 
pity  upon  any,  whether  sowers  or  reapers  in  the  field 
of  souls,  who  ventured  to  step  into  the  throne  of  the 
Master  to  dictate  to  Him  by  whom  His  message  should 
be  sent,  or  to  say,  in  the  least  farrow  of  God's  field, 
"  .AH  souls  are  mine,"  the  work  is  done.  Let  none  else 
labour  henceforth  but  me — for  ever  ? 

In  this  workl  of  evil,  evangelising  work  is  never 
done;  the  utmost  any  of  us  can  say  is,  that  we  have 
perhaps  done  something,  added  a  grain  of  sand  to  the 
heap,  probably  an  invisible  grain.  Go  and  look  at 
any  of  the  poor  London  streets.  A  simple-hearted 
country  friend,  who  had  read  of  the  Bible-women's 
efforts,  came  to  us  and  asked,  "  How  it  was  that  she  did 
not  meet  these  women  ;  when  she  came  to  London  she 
expected  to  see  them  everywhere."  How  she  was  to 
know  them  when  she  did  see  them  in  her  walks  we 
could  not  tell  her,  as  they  are  in  appearance  very  ordi- 


MISSING  LINKS,  AND  THEIE  EIVET.  63 

nary  sort  of  beings ;  but  she  was  little  aware  of  the 
wildernesses  of  peopled  space  involved  in  the  name  of 
London.  The  one  thing  in  which  all  earnest,  genuine 
workers  agree  concerning  its  masses  is,  that  there  is 
no  end  to  their  work ;  that,  in  fact,  they  do  but  touch 
its  surface.  No  ;  we  are  beginning  to  perceive  that 
when  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  sends  forth  His  labourers. 
His  true  labourers,  in  the  day  of  His  grace,  their  first 
act  must  be  to  v/elcome  one  another  to  His  field,  and 
to  forget  themselves  in  that  welcome. 

If  "the  unction  from  the  Holy  One''  is  fully  shed 
abroad  in  our  hearts,  we  shall  endeavour  not  only  to 
"dwell"  but  to  act  together  "in  unity."  (See  Psalm 
cxxxiii.)  All  the  members  of  Christ's  spiritual  body 
will  then  partake  of  the  fragrance  of  the  anointing  oil, 
which  He,  their  Head,  received  "above  measure" — 
"  the  oil  of  gladness  above  His  fellows ; "  and  being 
with  Him  "  anointed  ones,"  we  shall  be  one  in  luork, — 
His  work,  and  not  our  own ;  we  shall  be  contented, 
yea,  rejoiced,  to  share  its  details  ;  and  whatever  form 
that  work  may  take,  we  shall  earnestly  seek  to  blend  it 
with  the  everlasting  Word  of  the  Lord. 

These  are  days  in  which  God  is  putting  great  honour 
on  His  own  inspired  Book.  He  is  leading  back  the 
attention  of  mankind  from  schemes  of  their  own  devis- 
ing to  the  mighty  law  which  He  dictated,  and  to  the 
good  news  for  the  human  race  which  has  always  been 
pouring  forth  from  those  fountains  of  wisdom,  the  Old 
and  New  Testaments.  "To  the  law  and  to  the  tes- 
timony" are  our  eyes  directed;  not  to  abstract  and 


64  MISSING  LINKS,  AND  THEIE  EIVET. 

doctrinal  deductions  from  it.  The  Roman  Catholic 
Church  has  long  assured  us  that  we  could  not  under- 
stand it  for  ourselves,  and  facts  are  answering  that 
sophism — facts  out  of  the  very  depths  of  society. 
Every  week  now  brings  before  us  fresh  facts,  shewing 
that  the  acceptance  and  reception  of  that  Book  into 
any  family  is  the  beginning  of  a  better  and  a  happier 
life. 

The  steady,  kindly,  lowly  visitor,  wins  the  class  of 
"  the  sunken  sixth  "  to  meet  her  on  her  own  ground,  as 
they  have  admitted  her  without  question  to  theirs ; 
and  the  clean  room,  the  bright  fire,  the  light,  the  cup 
of  tea,  attract  them  by  twos  and  thi-ees  and  sixes,  to 
stay  a  while  and  listen  to  what  this  great  Book  will 
say  when  they  get  it,  or  to  what  the  small  old  cojjy  on 
their  dusty  shelf  does  say  if  they  listen  to  it.  And 
they  go  back  to  their  dark,  dirty,  drear  abodes,  with 
some  thought  about  clean  faces,  and  clean  clothing,  and 
clean  beds,  and  air,  and  light,  and  water — with  some 
feeling  that  they  have  each  a  soul,  and  are  not  quite 
like  the  brute  beasts,  and  that  that  soul  may  be  saved 
— "  that  there  is  a  Jesus,"  and  that  He  died  for  them, 
"that  they  might  live." 

They  begin  to  get  this  knowledge  best  from  a  Bible- 
woman.  We  can  now  attest,  from  a  large  circle  of  ex- 
perience, daily  widening,  that  thus  God  honours  His 
own  Word, 


CHAPTER  IV. 

li^toiing  i\t  time. 


**  Mark  that  long  dark  line  of  shadoWB, 

Stretching  far  into  the  past; 
Every  day  it  seems  to  lengthen — 

Whither  does  it  tend  at  last  ? 
Each  one  added  to  the  hosts, 

From  the  present  moment  flies ; 
These  are  Time's  forgotten  ghosts. 

Fleeted  opportunities. 

**  Characters  of  light  or  darkness, 

Gabriel's  pen  from  each  requires, 
God  records,  if  man  forgets  them. 

Numbers  each  as  each  expires: 
And  the  awful  spectres  all, 

At  the  day  of  doom  will  rise. 
Witnesses  at  Heaven's  call, 

Fleeted  opportunities." 


"Oh  to  go  back,"  says  a  new-born  soul,  "to  that 
weary  round  of  dress,  meals,  visits,  and  amusements — 
all  without  a  purpose,  save  to  pass  away  the  long  hours ; 
to  dwell  among  those  who  are  ever  seeking  something 
further  than  the  present,  and,  when  that  is  found, 

'Still  seeking — all  unrest,' 

whose  very  atmosphere  creates 

*  A  sense  of  emptiness,  without  the  sense 
Of  an  abiding  fulness  anywhere ' " 

With  no  hearts  do  we  feel  greater  sympathy  than  with 
such  as  these,  which  have  found  Christ,  perhaps  in 
some  extraneous  circle  to  their  own,  and,  after  a 
glimpse  of  the  happiness  of  those  who  truly  live  for 
Him,  must  return  into  their  present  place,  surrounded 
by  relatives  and  friends,  whether  they  be  "  la  creme  de 
la  creme''  ov  moving  in  any  lower  grade  of  fashionable 
life ;  to  do  as  they  do,  live  as  they  live,  or  eiicounter 
at  once  a  pitiless  storm  of  ridicule  and  persecution 
which  few  young  Christians  have  courage  to  brave. 

We  believe  there  are  a  great  many  of  those  hidden 
ones — known  to  the  Lord  who  has  bouo^ht  them — to 
whom  He  will  manifest  more  grace  in  these  times  of 
revival.     Meantime  we  would  remind  them  that  the 


68  REDEEMING  THE  TIME. 

deepest  streams  have  stillest  sources,  that  there  lies 
before  them  now  a  life  of  worship  and  of  work,  and 
that  the  first,  which  is  the  root  of  the  second,  can  be 
begun  in  secret.  They  will  begin  to  redeem  the  time 
for  soul  service — to  the  soul's  best  Friend  ;  in  this  land 
of  liberty  they  have  His  Book,  hitherto  a  "dead  letter," 
an  unprized  possession,  now  "  a  pearl  of  great  price," 
or  rather  a  treasury  of  pearls,  an  inexhaustible  mine  of 
the  gems  of  truth.  Of  this  mine  the  key  of  prayer 
will  unlock  the  door,  and  bring  the  heavenly  Teacher 
to  their  side,  by  night  or  day.  With  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments  in  their  hands  they  can  never  again  feel 
they  have  ''nothing  to  do." 

That  great  Book  has  itself  a  story,  which  a  thousand 
lives  might  be  well  spent  in  searching  out,  and  upon 
which  all  history  might  be  brought  to  tell.  It  is  a 
tree  bearing  all  manner  of  pleasant  fruits,  and  its 
leaves  are  for  the  healing  of  the  nations.  Its  words 
"  lead  in  the  way  of  righteousness — in  the  midst  of  the 
paths  of  judgment." 

Little  enough  have  those  studied  it  who  have  even 
loved  it  for  a  lifetime.  How  few  Christians,  hitherto, 
have  been  "  mighty  in  the  Scriptures  I  "  Are  they  few 
or  many  amongst  his  flock,  comparatively  speaking, 
that  a  devoted  pastor  can  bring  and  say,  "These,  my 
spiritual  children,  know  and  love  their  Bibles — they 
are  always  studying  them.  Let  the  Lord  take  them 
and  use  them  for  the  various  ministries  of  life — they 
are  prepared — they  know  how  to  wield  '  the  sword  of 
the  Spirit.'"     Now,  we  can  only  be  safe  teachers  as 


EEDEEMING  THE  TIME.  69 

far  as  we  are  learners  here ;  we  can  only  give  to  drink 
of  the  water  of  life,  as  we  ourselves  go  daily  to  the 
fountain. 

But  when  the  Lord  has  caused  you  to  drink,  He  will 
make  you  lead  others  to  the  living  stream.  Your  veiy 
countenance  will  tell  that  you  have  found  peace  in 
Him,  and  you  will  not  be  able  to  help,  in  some  way  or 
other,  saying — ''  Ho,  every  one  that  is  thirsty,  come  ye 
to  the  waters."  Spiritual  life  must  diffuse  itself — it 
will  find  a  channel — your  Master  will  find  it  for  you. 
Oh  to  have  a  Master  always  to  work  for  who  will 
never  let  us  be  out  of  work,  abroad  or  at  home !  He 
is  one  for  whom  it  is  worth  while  to  "  redeem  the 
time."  He  will  go  with  us.  He  will  not  send  us  upon 
a  warfare  at  our  own  charges.  He  is  "  the  chief  among 
ten  thousand — the  altogether  lovely."  His  yoke  is 
easy,  and  His  burden  light,  and  He  says,  "  Come  unto 
me,  all  ye  that  are  weary  and  heavy  laden,  and  I  will 
give  you  rest !  " 

Before  we  enter  on  the  fields  of  work  which  lie  open 
without  limits  before  a  devoted  Christian  mind,  which 
has  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  education  and  position, 
we  will  place  you  in  relation  to  one  of  our  earnest 
Bible- women,  and  tell  you  in  her  own  words,  from  a 
journal  that  was  never  written  for  your  eye,  what  has 
been  her  six  months'  work  this  year.  It  may  shew  you 
a  little  of  what  remains  to  be  done  among  the  poor  of 
our  great  city. 


70  EEDEEMING  THE  TIME. 


A  BIBLE-WOMAN  AND  HEE  STOEY. 

"Having  been  led  through  a  path  of  much  trouble 
for  the  last  ten  years,  I  had  an  increasing  desire  for 
those  consolations  which  are  given  only  to  those  who 
can  look  up  to  a  sin-pardoning  God.  I  sought  and 
found  them  ;  and  so  strong  were  they,  and  so  sensibly 
did  I  then  feel  that  my  heavenly  Father  had  chastened 
me  in  mercy,  that  I  was  led  to  cry  from  the  depths  of 
my  heart,  '  Thy  will  be  done,  Thy  will  be  done/ 

'  Give  joy  or  grief,  give  ease  or  pain, 
To  me,  Thy  child,  nought  comes  in  vain  ! ' 

Then  there  sprang  up  in  my  heart  an  earnest  prayer 
that  God  would  use  me  for  His  glory.  He  gave  me 
an  invitation,  connected  with  a  promise,  thirteen  years 
since,  in  a  day  of  bitter  grief.  I  have  called  upon 
Him  in  the  day  of  trouble  :  He  has  delivered  me  ;  now 
will  He  hel]:*  me  to  glorify  His  name. 

"The  dealings  of  God  with  me  in  those  last  ten 
years,  have  indeed  prepared  me  to  weep  with  those 
that  weep.  Oh,  may  I  some  day  rejoice  with  those 
that  do  rejoice  !  Ere  I  entered  the  Bible  and  Domestic 
Mission,  I  shed  many  tears  through  sleepless  nights. 
On  first  visiting  Snow's  Fields,  I  knew  not  if  1  was 
called  to  enter  this  part  of  the  vineyard,  till  one  night, 
finding  my  strength  much  exhausted  on  retiring  to 
rest,  I  thought  I  would  ask  a  token  of  the  Lord,  that 
if  He  wished  me  to  proceed,  He  would  condescend  to 
grant  that  I  might  go  through  the  coming  day  without 
such  prostration  of  strength  as  I  then  experienced. 


REDEEMING  THE  TIME.  71 

How  was  I  surprised  at  His  compassion!  I  rose  in 
the  morning,  and  I  think  I  never  felt  so  well  in  my 
life.  I  went  through  the  day's  work  without  even  a 
feeling  of  fatigue.  So  great  was  the  change  in  me 
that  a  friend  noticed  it.  I  told  her  what  I  had  asked 
of  God,  and  after  my  long  walk  home  of  three  miles — 
still  feeling  quite  unwearied — my  mind  was  set  at  rest 
upon  this  question. 

"  Ajwil  16. — I  have  just  left  a  small  court  contain- 
ing some  of  the  most  wretched  abodes  ;  but  wretched 
as  they  were  in  the  absence  of  almost  every  domestic 
comfort,  they  were  rendered  still  more  so  by  the  firm 
resistance  with  which  some  of  the  inmates  rejected  the 
word  of  life ;  yet  I  found  an  opportunity  of  telling  to 
others  '  good  news '  for  those  who  were  ready  to  perish, 
till  tears  chased  each  other  down  wan  cheeks,  and  I 
heard  the  confession  that  the  poor  heart  felt  indeed  an 
aching  void.  Spent  a  few  moments  in  prayer,  and  was 
entreated  to  repeat  my  visits. 

''  Keturning  next  day  to  this  spot,  I  saw  two  boys,  and 
heard  one  uttering  the  most  bitter  oaths  against  the 
other,  who  stood  grinning  with  mischievous  dehght  at 
the  disappointment  of  the  first,  whose  dinner  he  had 
stolen.  I  thought  I  had  never  seen  a  countenance  so 
distorted  by  conflicting  emotions ;  I  could  read  in  it 
hunger,  privation,  revenge,  and  neglect,  all  mingled 
together.  I  watched  them  for  a  while  in  silence,  and 
turned  away  to  hide  my  tears.  Might  not  the  sin  and 
misery  of  thofie  poor  children  be  traced  to  the  ignorance 
and  intemperance  of  their  parents  ?    The  sight  of  them 


72  REDEEMING  THE  TIME. 

led  me  to  cry,  '  0  my  Father,  if  Thou  wilt  make  me  the 
instrument  of  good  to  these  souls  in  Snow's  Fields, 
Thou  shalt  have  the  glory  for  ever  ! ' 

"  Again,  passing  through  these  courts,  a  boy  ran  after 
me,  saying,  '  Mother  wants  you.'  It  was  a  woman  I 
had  read  and  prayed  with  once  before ;  there  were  six 
children  round  her  ;  she  and  they  nearly  naked  ;  none 
of  them  had  tasted  food  that  day  ;  they  never  go  to  a 
place  of  worship.  '  How  can  they,  in  the  daylight,' 
they  say,  '  for  want  of  covering  ? '  Every  face  told  of 
starvation.  Lord,  hasten  the  time  when  scenes  of  suffer- 
ing like  this  shall  be  unknown  ! 

"  Found  a  man  who  had  received  a  pious  education. 
The  last  four  years  of  his  life,  he  said,  he  had  been 
unable  to  support  his  children.  I  carried  his  mind 
back  to  his  father's  fireside,  and  the  grouj)  assembled 
round  the  family  altar.  He  remembered  it,  and  con- 
fessed that  he  had  never  prayed  with  his  children ; 
and  with  eyes  full  of  tears,  and  a  heart  too  heavy  to 
speak,  he  cast  a  look  upwards,  which  seemed  to  say, 
'  Oh  that  it  were  with  me  as  in  the  days  that  are 
past ! ' 

"  *  Did  he  attend  a  place  of  worship  ?'  I  asked.  No ; 
he  pointed  to  his  coat  behind  the  door ;  it  was  a  poor 
one.  '  He  should  not  mind  going  to  a  room,  if  one 
were  open  near.'  Oh  that  the  Church  of  Christ  may 
see  the  necessity  of  bringing  the  gospel  to  the  poor ! 

"  May  10. — Last  night,  held  our  first  Mothers'  Meet- 
ing in  our  own  Mission-room.  (I  had  tried  to  have  it 
in  a  National  School-room,  kindly  offered  me,  but  after 


REDEEMING  THE  TIME.  7^ 

three  evenings  I  found  these  sort  of  people  would  not 
come  there.  Three  women  and  three  girls  were  present. 
I  felt  at  first  embarrassed  how  to  begin  the  business  of 
the  evening ;  but  remembering  that  it  was  written, 
'  Whoso  ofi'ereth  praise  glorifieth  me,'  (Ps.  1.  23,)  sang 
a  verse, 

"  My  God,  the  spring  of  all  my  joy ! " 

and  invited  the  friends  present  to  unite,  which  they 
did.  I  then  read  the  parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son,  and 
concluded  with  prayer — in  the  offering  of  which  I  re- 
ceived such  an  assurance  that  I  was  doing  what  God 
would  have  me  do,  that  I  lost  all  the  painful  reserve 
that  had  troubled  me  at  the  first.  I  then  produced 
the  clothing  with  which  I  had  been  supplied,  and  ex- 
plained what  we  hoped  to  do  in  the  future. 

"  As  I  shook  each  by  the  hand,  and  bade  them  good- 
night, a  girl  about  fourteen  looked  into  my  face  en- 
treatingly,  and  said,  '  I  feel  so  happy,  I  don't  want  to 
go  away  yet.'  I  told  her  I  was  willing  to  remain 
longer  with  her  if  she  wished  it.  She  then  told  me, 
'  My  father  and  mother  are  both  pious  persons ;  but 
mother  says  us  children  don't  take  after  them.'  I  said, 
*  My  dear  girl,  have  you  begun  the  life  of  prayer.'  She 
burst  into  tears,  saying,  '  That  is  what  I  want,  but  when 
I  try  to  pray,  I  don't  know  how,  I  don't  know  what  to 
say.'  I  answered  her,  '  Now,  just  tell  that  to  God  ;  say 
what  you  have  just  said  to  Him;  tell  Him  you  want  to 
pray,  and  cannot  tell  how — ask  Him  to  help  you  for 
Jesus  Christ's  sake — that  is  prayer.  And  believe  what 
God  says,  when  He  declares  your  pious  father  is  not 


74  EEDEEMING  THE  TIME. 

more  willing  to  give  you  bread  to  eat  than  He  is 
willing  to  give  His  Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  ask  it.' " 

One  of  the  women  who  came  to  this  prayer-meeting 
proved  the  first-fruits  of  the  Bible  Mission  in  Snow's 
Fields.  When  "  Paulina/'  the  Bible-woman,  first  called 
upon  her,  she  had  no  copy  of  the  Scriptures  in  the 
house,  but  actually  brought,  as  was  afterwards  found, 
her  last  three  halfpence  towards  the  purchase  of  a 
fourpenny  Testament.  Must  we  not  believe  that  the 
eye  of  the  Heavenly  Watcher  saw  this  poor  hand 
reached  out  for  His  message,  and  honoured  its  accept- 
ance by  the  si^eedy  saving  of  that  soul? 

She  seemed,  Paulina  says,  '•  a  poor  thing,  with  little 
life  in  her,  dirty,  thriftless,  wasting  her  day  in  gossip. 
She  had  no  sense  of  '  redeeming  the  time.'  I  asked 
her  to  the  Mission-room,  and  she  heard  enough  on  the 
first  night  to  prevent  her  from  leaving  home  for  the 
hospital,  for  which  a  ticket  had  just  been  given  her ; 
*  but  no  one  will  care  for  my  soul  there,  like  this,'  she 
thought ;  '  I  will  stay  at  home,  and  see  more  of  this 
Bible-woman.'" 

A  fortnight  afterwards,  she  opened  her  mind  to  her 
new  friend.  She  was  full  of  distress  at  the  remem- 
brance of  God's  long-suffering  towards  her,  and  also  of 
all  her  past  years  of  disobedience,  while  His  mercy  had 
been  shewn  to  her  even  amid  her  bitterest  sorrows. 
For  a  whole  month,  her  soul  was  filled  with  anguish, 
and  no  words  could  she  find  to  express  the  depth  of 
her  sense  of  sin  in  the  sight  of  God.  She  was  weak 
and  ill  in  body  likewise,   and  when  Paulina  shewed 


EEDEEMING  THE  TIME.  75 

sympathy  for  her  suffering  state,  she  said,  "Ah,  the 
load  on  my  heart  is  the  worst ;  but  I  hope  God  has 
sent  you  to  comfort  me." 

This  state  of  deep  conviction  was  met  by  fresh  invita- 
tions from  Him  who  came  to  seek  and  save  the  lost ; 
and  in  the  reading  of  the  Word  of  God  and  prayer,  the 
heart  was  opened  still  more  freely  than  before.  And 
"  on  going  the  next  morning,"  Paulina  says,  "  I  found 
her  cleanino;  the  room,  which  does  not  now  look  like  the 
same.  Nor  did  her  countenance.  That  expression  of 
deep  anxiety  was  gone,  and  her  face  so  lit  up  that  she 
seemed  twenty  years  younger. 

"  I  remarked  how  nicely  she  had  cleaned  the  room. 
*  Oh/  said  she,  '  I  feel  able  to  do  anything  now.  I 
have  a  heart  at  ease,  and  I  feel  that  God  helps  me  in 
everything.'  I  asked  after  her  sick  child,  and  told 
her  if  any  fresh  trouble  assailed  her,  I  should  like  to 
be  with  her. 

"  At  seven  o'clock  one  morning,  soon  after  this,  I 
heard  from  her  that  the  child,  who  had  been  ill  three 
weeks,  had  departed.  '  Thank  God,'  said  she,  '  that 
one  will  not  live  to  w^atch  through  the  window  so 
anxiously,  and  call  out,  as  the  other  did  before  he  died, 
"Mother,  have  you  brought  the  loaf?"'  This  trouble 
of  bereavement  was  added  to  by  a  brutal  husband,  who 
beat  her  while  her  child  lay  dead  in  the  house.  Still," 
says  her  friend,  "her  love  and  confidence  in  God  in- 
creases. She  speaks  very  clearly  of  obtaining  the  wit- 
ness of  her  adoption  into  the  family  of  God.  When 
returning  from  the  funeral^  sh^  said  she  was  so  happy 


76  REDEEMING  THE  TIME 

she  could  not  shed  a  tear,  for  it  seemed  to  her  that  she 
had  herself  but  just  begun  to  live.  She  has  com- 
menced family  prayer  at  home  ;  and  is  constant  at  the 
Mission-room,  every  step  towards  which  seems  to  her, 
she  says,  like  one  towards  heaven/'  She  lately  told 
Paulina  that  the  reason  she  gave  that  last  three-half- 
pence for  her  Testament  at  first,  was  to  secure  another 
visit  from  her,  she  was  so  afraid  she  should  never  see 
her  again.  "  What  lias  come  to  you  of  late,  Mrs  W.," 
said  one  of  her  neighbours,  "  you  seem  to  have  grown 
young  again  V 

"  Ah  !  '  was  the  answer,  "  I  have  lost  the  load  of  my 
sins ;  and  I  feel  happy,  food  or  no  food." 

"  And  we  never  see  you  cleaning  your  house  on  a 
Sunday  now,  nor  beating  and  scolding  your  husband 
and  children,  as  you  used." 

"  No,"  said  she  ;  "  and,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  I 
hope  you  never  will  again ;  for,  do  you  know,  I  feel  I 
can  never  strike  my  children  any  more,  for  here  have 
I  been  sinning  against  my  blessed  heavenly  Father 
for  forty-five  years ;  and  if  God  had  been  to  me  as  I 
have  to  them,  where  should  I  have  been  now?  No  ;  I 
inean  to  take  my  children,  and  pray  with  them  night 
and  morning,  and  that  will  do  them  more  good." 

Soon   after  this  a  neighbour's  child  was  taken  ill. 

Poor  Mrs  W was  the  first  to  offer  her  services. 

The  father  of  the  child,  who  was  greatly  distressed  at 
its  sufferings,  burst  into  a  flood  of  tears,  and  said— 

"  Is  it  possible,  neighbour  W ,  that  you  have 

pome  to  offer  your  Jielp — you,  |:hat  the  .other  day  >y.o 


REDEEMING  THE  TIME.  77 

hooted  down  the  court,  as  you  went  to  the  honse  of 
God,  and  said  you  were  going  to  beg  for  a  loaf.     Oh, 

Mrs  W ,  if  this  is  religion,  it  is  just  what  Susan 

and  I  need." 

"Yes,"  said  she.  "God  sent  me  a  messenger  of 
mercy  in  the  time  of  my  trouble ;  and  I  am  at  your 
service  night  or  day." 

The  poor  man  covered  his  face,  and  wept  bitterly. 
She  then  took  him  by  the  hand,  and  drew  him  to  his 
knees-;  and  she  thanked  God  that,  having  saved  her 
from  the  wrath  to  come,  she  had  a  bright  hope  of  meet- 
ing her  little  ones  in  heaven ;  and  prayed  that  he,  in 
his  affliction,  might  find  the  same  hope,  too,  through 
the  same  Saviour. 

Being  better  off  than  she  is,  he  offered  to  pay  her 
for  her  service  ;  but  although  her  husband  was  out  of 
work,  she  would  not  receive  a  farthing. 

"  No,"  she  said  to  me,  "  I  was  not  going  to  let  my 
Saviour  have  a  slur  cast  upon  Him,  that  one  of  His 
children  must  be  paid  for  doing  His  work  that  lay  at 
her  door.     I  felt  I  was  doing  it  for  Him." 

'•'Although  this  poor  woman  cannot  read,  the  Lord 
has  taught  her  to  pray ;  and  I  am  often  admonished," 
says  the  Bible-woman,  "  at  her  simple  faith  and  love. 
I  am  quite  refreshed  by  her  conversation  ;  and  she 
generally  comes  in  half-an-hour  before  the  time  of  our 
prayer-meeting,  that  we  may  pray  alone  together,  as 
she  says,  that  the  poor  souls  may  feel  what  God  can 
do  for  them. 

"  I  have  need,  sometimes,   of  such   comfort  in  a 


78  EEDEEMING  THE  TIME. 

friend,"  said  Paulina  to  us.  "  I  have  been  so  full  of 
despondency  now  and  then,  that  when  I  have  come  in 
from  my  work,  I  have  been  ready  to  throw  down  my 
books  and  cry  ;  but  yet  there  is  much  to  encourage 
me.  I  have  always  gone  straight  with  the  message 
from  God ;  and  it  is  a  wonder  to  me  how  already  it 
has  changed  the  ways  of  the  people.  Floors,  never 
cleaned  before,  are  cleaned  now.  One  old  woman 
scoured  every  rail  in  every  chair,  as  well  as  an  old  deal 
bedstead,  so  that  when  I  called  to  read  next  time  the 
room  looked  altogether  lighter,  and  I  could  read  with- 
out the  door  standing  open.  Floors,  stairs,  cupboards, 
and  door-ways  now  are  all  prepared  to  welcome  me  in 
many  a  formerly  wretched  abode. 

"  Mrs  W has  had  the  happiness  of  seeing  her 

persecuting  husband  at  our  meeting.  We  had  agreed, 
she  and  I,  to  pray  that  God  would  meet  him  there. 
We  had  also  another  woman  who  had  grievously 
opposed  a  Christian  husband,  so  as  to  hide  his  clothes 
on  Sunday  morniug,  to  prevent  his  attending  church. 
While  two  of  our  women  were  speaking  of  what  God 
had  done  for  them,  and  praising  God  for  breaking 
their  hard  hearts,  the  tears  flowed  from  her  eyes,  and 
she  fell  on  her  knees,  and  God  spoke  peace  to  her  bur- 
dened heart  before  she  left  the  room. 

"  The  Mission  Cottage  is  very  damp ;  but  I  do  not  feel 
I  should  like  to  leave  it,  for  God  has  blessed  four  souls 
in  it,  who  continue  to  give  evidence  of  the  great  change. 
Here  many  a  w^eary  heart  has  been  soothed,  and  led  to 
look  to  Jesus.     One  woman  said  one  day,  '  I  do  not 


REDEEMING  THE  TIME.  79 

know  how  it  is,  but  when  I  cry  at  home,  it  is  always 
on  account  of  what  some  one  has  done  to  me ;  but 
when  I  cry  here,  it  is  always  for  what  I  have  done  and 
been  to  God/ 

"  '  There  were  twenty-nine  mothers  and  two  children 
here  last  night,'  is  a  November  entry.  We  fervently 
prayed  for  a  blessing  on  those  dear  ladies  who  think 
so  much  of  the  poor  as  to  send  a  Bible-woman  to  them. 
One  and  another  of  our  poor  mothers  have  poured  out 
their  hearts  in  thankfulness  to  God  for  the  hope  that 
has  sprung  up  in  their  hearts  ;  but  which  of  them  has 
so  much  reason  to  praise  God  as  that  Bible-woman 
herself,  who,  after  the  bitter  experience  of  ten  years' 
trial,  during  which  she  was  the  wife  of  a  drunkard,  has 
at  last  had  the  unspeakable  happiness  of  seeing  her 
own  husband  in  her  Mission-room,  beseeching  pardon 
at  the  feet  of  Jesus  ?  And  that  pardon  he  found,  and 
has  since  given  full  evidence  of  a  true  repentance  by  a 
return  to  his  former  self  before  he  left  the  path  of 
sobriety.  My  child,  too,  has  been  led  to  God  during 
the  time  I  have  been  in  the  mission  ;  and  though  not 
fifteen  years  of  age,  he  appears  to  possess  the  clear- 
est conviction  of  acceptance  with  God  through  Jesus 
Christ.  My  prayer  is  answered  ;  I  rejoice  with  those 
who  do  rejoice. 

"Our  room  is  become  too  small,  oar  seats  too  few, 
but  I  fear  to  launch  out  further  single-handed.  May 
God  speedily  find  us  a  devoted  Christian  lady  as  super- 
intendent." 

A  letter  from  Paulina  drew  the  attention  of  the 


80  REDEEMING  THE  TIME. 

visiting  secretary  of    the  Bible-women's  Missions  to 

this  district,  and  to  Mrs  W 's  case.     When  there 

is  no  personal  superintendent,  (and  we  have  more  than 
a  score  of  good  women  for  whom  we  have  not  hitherto 
found  Ladies,)  they  are  obliged  to  refer  continually  to 
the  Central  Mission  for  payment  for  their  provision  of 
clothing,  and  for  their  distressed  cases.  We  never 
think  it  right  to  dispense  relief  by  the  hand  of  a  Bible- 
woman  if  we  can  help  it.  It  is  not  that  we  do  not 
trust  her — but  it  hinders  her  true  usefulness.  In  in- 
stances where  the  women,  with  strong  and  tender  sym- 
pathies for  the  deej)  distress  which  they  daily  see,  en- 
treat vehemently  for  funds  for  their  own  dispensation, 
we  have  known  them  quite  cured  of  the  desire  by  en- 
trusting them  with  about  £2  to  do  as  they  pleased 
with ;  and,  long  ere  that  is  spent,  they  find  it  brings 
with  it  such  jealousy  and  such  deceit  in  their  district, 
and  that  it  is  so  much  better  for  them  only  to  be  able 
to  help  the  people  to  help  themselves,  and  to  carry  the 
case  of  tlie  sufferers  to  other  sources  of  relief,  that  they 
have  generally  learned  their  lesson,  and  feel  that  to  be 
made  almoners  will  ruin  their  usefulness. 

Such  a  case  as  the  following,  however,  met  of  course 
with  immediate  attention  : — 

"  Madam, — I  trust  you  will  pardon  my  writing  to 
you,  as   you    know   I    have  no  lady  superintendent. 

Poor  Mrs  W ,  the  woman  spoken  of  in  my  journal, 

is  now  lying  on  a  sick-bed.  Since  her  conversion  to 
God,  she  has  supported  herself  by  washing,  and  added 
greatly  to  the  comfort  of  her  husband  and  children. 


REDEEMING  THE  TIME.  81 

When  she  fell  ill,  I  applied  at  the  Workhouse  and  got 
a  doctor,  and  when  he  saw  her,  he  said  she  had  exerted 
herself  beyond  her  strength — she  was  spitting  blood, 
and  she  was  never  likely  to  get  better  in  that  wretched 
house. 

"  She  is  become  a  member  of  a  Christian  church, 
and  three  of  the  poor  members  came  to  see  her,  but 
left  without  offering  any  assistance.  I  fear  they  have 
too  many  cases  now  of  the  same  sort.  The  neighbour- 
hood in  which  she  lives  is  full  of  the  most  abandoned 
and  drunken  people;  and  this  woman,  who  was  the 
first  they  would  send  for  in  trouble,  tliey  have  refused 
to  wash  a  few  things  for,  as  they  think  she  has  fever ; 
but  I  took  care  they  should  not  see  she  was  lost,  and 
have  been  with  her  by  night  and,  as  far  as  other  duties 
would  allow,  by  day,  and  I  thank  God  I  feel  about  as 
strong  as  ever  I  did  in  my  life.  0  Madam,  it  would 
rejoice  your  heart  to  hear  her  songs  of  praise,  and  to 
witness  her  unshaken  confidence  in  God ;  but  this  fol- 
lower of  Jesus  lies  upon  a  heap  of  straw,  covered  with 
a  small  piece  of  calico,  and  two  sacks.  The  husband 
has  not  been  in  constant  work  for  a  length  of  time, 
but  has  a  little  better  prospect  if  he  can  stop  at  what 
he  is  doing  now. — Yours  faithfully,  E.  R" 

Another   entry  in   the  journal    is  :  —  "  Dear   Mrs 

W being  absent  from  our  prayer-meeting,  I  asked 

a  poor  woman  who  missed  her  fervent  prayers  among 
the  mothers,  to  go  along  with  me  to  see  her  in  her 
affiction,  that  she  might  observe  what  religion  could  do 
on  a  sick-bed.    As  we  entered,  I  said, '  Well,  dear  friend, 

F 


82  EEDEEMTNG  THE  TIME. 

and  how  do  you  fare  now  ?  Are  you  "  very  liappy  " 
still,  down  in  that  little  dark  corner  ? ' 

*'  *  It  is  not  dark  to  me,  she  said,  *  for  Jesus  is  with 
me  here ; '  and  then  her  looks,  and  all  she  uttered, 
made  her  poor  neighbour  believe  it.  What  do  you 
think,  I  asked  her  as  we  came  away,  '  Is  that  happi- 
ness worth  having  ?  Is  she  not  truly  rejoicing  in  the 
Lord,  amid  all  that  is  dark  and  dreary  ? '  '  Yes ! '  an- 
swered the  neighbour,  '  I  am  amazed.  I  have  been  to 
church  for  years.  I  thought  I  had  religion,  and  that 
I  loved  Jesus,  but  I  have  never  loved  Him  like  that. 
I  must  go  in  and  see  what  I  can  do  for  her,  poor  dear 
— wash  her  children  for  her — clean  her  house.  It  will 
be  reward  enough  to  hear  her  talk  to  me — that  is  reli- 
gion, sure  enough.'" 

We  have  selected  and  followed  out  this  one  case, 
among  many  others,  in  Paulina's  journal.  Her  own 
history  is  as  remarkable  as  her  mission-work,  and  she 
appears  to  have  thankfully  worked  with  the  City  Mis- 
sionary of  the  locality,  and  with  all  other  Christians 
willing  to  help  her  ;  fully  carrying  out  the  idea  of  the 
Bible-woman's  office,  though,  unfortunately,  as  she  says, 
single-handed.  There  are  few  women  of  her  class  who 
alone  could  have  done  so  much — and  she  had  been 
truly  prepared  for  her  work  by  affliction.  She  and  her 
husband  both  seem  to  have  known  the  Lord  in  early 
life ;  and  it  was  not  till  years  after  their  marriage  that 
he  took  to  drinking — then,  breaking  the  pledge  from 
the  persuasion  to  take  threepenny  worth  of  brandy, 
offered,  alas !  by  a  pious  friend.     From  that  time  he 


EEDEEMING  THE  TIME.  83 

was  seldom  sober,  —  becoming  a  source  of  great 
trouble  to  his  wife,  and  in  his  drunken  fits  being  very 
cruel  to  her  and  her  children.  She,  after  very  long 
and  quiet  endurance,  resolved  on  seeking  her  own  sup- 
port, and  remaining,  for  at  least  a  part  of  the  week,  at 
a  distance  from  him.  God,  it  is  evident,  has  heard 
her  prayers,  and  counted  her  tears,  and  we  trust  will 
give  her  her  husband's  soul  as  a  reward  for  her  labours. 

By  means  of  timely  succour  and  nourishment,  Mrs 

W 's  health  has  been  restored.     As  we  heard  of 

her  continually  going  forth  to  nurse  her  neighbours,  and 
being  still  much  maltreated  by  her  husband,  w^e  thought 
it  might  raise  her  in  his  esteem  if  we  gave  her  partial 
occupation  in  Mission  work.  The  experiment  has 
therefore  been  tried,  and  very  successfully,  of  making 
her  a  nurse  to  the  Snow's  Fields  Mission,  and  paying 
her  five  shillings  a  week,  a  bag  being  furnished  for 
her  with  lint,  linen,  &c.,  accordingly. 

She  finds  abundant  occupation  in  the  district,  and 
opportunities  of  spiritual  ministration  incidentally. 
Here  again  the  guiding  hand  of  the  Lady  is  eminently 
to  be  desired.  The  oflshoots  of  a  well-conducted  JMis- 
sion  of  this  kind,  and  the  fresh  w^ays  of  occupying 
those  whose  life  has  hitherto  been  given  to  the  service 
of  the  Evil  One,  may  form  a  delightful  subject  of  study 
for  its  Superintending  Lady. 

The  one  lesson  which  a  devoted  Bible-woman  tries 
to  teach  to  those  whom  she  leads  to  the  feet  of  Jesus, 
is  "  Kedeeming  the  Time."  Time  is  the  common  trea- 
sure of  rich  and  poor.     The  rich  may  squander  it  in 


84  REDEEMING  THE  TIME. 

amusing  themselves  and  others.  Many  poor  women 
waste  it  quite  as  profusely,  gossiping  at  their  doors. 
Immediately  that  either  of  these  parties  receives  a  sense 
of  the  duty  of  "life-work"  for  God,  they  have  a  voca- 
tion, and  they  begin  to  turn  their  spare  minutes  to  ac- 
count. The  poor  woman  in  Paulina's  district  took  up 
the  duty  that  lay  at  her  door.  The  affluent  can  no 
longer  rise  in  the  morning  with  that  wretched  sense  of 
"nothing  to  do,"  which  ruins  health  and  cripples 
energy.  The  poor  have  been  trained  for  work  directly 
they  have  turned  to  God — through  their  trials.  Their 
superiors  should  be — by  their  deeper  knowledge  of  the 
Book  of  all  Wisdom.  How  few,  we  repeat,  are  mighty 
in  the  Scriptures  !  But  shall  it  any  longer  be  said  so  ? 
To  study  that  Book  is  life-work;  but  will  not  such  study 
lead  onwards  to  the  necessity  of  distributing  and  teach- 
ing it  to  others  ? 

We  often  think  there  is  no  book  so  interesting  as  the 
life-book  which  the  Bible-woman  reads  in  her  daily 
rounds,  and  presents  to  us  according  to  the  measure  of 
her  mental  power  of  recording  the  scenes  she  sees. 
The  commencement  of  this  year,  1861,  has  witnessed 
a  continuance  of  good  work  in  Paulina's  district,  for 
which,  however,  there  is  still  no  superintendent,  there- 
fore the  mission  here  may  be  taken  as  a  specimen  of 
of  what  can  be  accomplished  by  the  Bible-woman 
without  the  aid  of  the  LADY,  whose  help,  however, 
would  be  so  extremely  welcome  if  t^^e  right  individual 

were  to  appear.     Poor  Mrs  W continues  to  be  her 

friend  and  co-worker.  Let  us  again  examine  in  what 
kind  of  neio'hbourhood. 


EEDEEMING  THE  TIME.  So 

"You  are  a  bad,  wicked  lot,  the  whole  of  you,'* 
is  the  remark  of  a  Christian  minister  as  he  leaves 
a  certain  court  ;  "  there  is  but  one  among  you  that 
is    anything   like    what    she    ought    to    be,    and  that 

is   Mrs   W ."      Some    of   the    most    determined 

drunkards  live  in  this  locality,  uniting  to  shield  each 
other  in  their  wickedness.  When  asked  for  rents  or 
payments,  they  assist  to  shift  goods  from  house  to 
house  by  the  back  passages,  till  the  storm  of  the  land- 
lord or  the  tallyman  is  over,  and  then  back  comes  the 
property  ;  and  if  work  is  stirring,  the  fire  is  piled  high 
up  the  chimney,  bottles  and  cans  fly  about  in  the  hands 
of  pale  and  shoeless  children,  friends  are  sent  for,  and 
loud  laughing  and  singing  is  kept  up  till  some  more 
peaceable  neighbour  leaves  his  bed  to  see  if  his  bad 
words  and  strong  arm  are  able  to  quiet  the  revellers. 

Amid    such  scenes  poor  Mrs  W opened  her 

room  for  a  prayer-meeting ;   and  let  us  observe  who 

'  came  to  it  ?     Mrs  T ,  so  vile  a  swearer  that  a  v^gh 

man  has  said,  "  That  woman  makes  me  tremble.'' 
While  the  Scripture-reader  adds,  "  I,  too,  am  quite 
afraid  of  her.  It  is  certain  her  husband  is  ;  for  his 
wife  being  twice  as  strong  as  the  poor  little  man,  has 
been  used  to  thrash  him  and  pull  his  hair  out  by 
handsfull,  upon  which  he  would  kick  up  the  table  and 
break  all  upon  it,  and  then  run  out  of  the  house  and 
down  the  court,  like  a  child  that  knew  what  he  would 
get  when  he  came  back  again.     jS^oiv  the  neighbours 

say — ''What  an  altered  woman  Mrs  F is  since 

she  goes  to  the  prayer-meetings !  She  has  left  off 
swearing,  and  her  husband  tells  her,  '  Eliza,  you  are 


86  REDEEMING  THE  TIME. 

not  like  the  same ;  surely  something  has  done  you 
good.' " 

The  little  room  in  which  they  meet  to  pray  is  warm 
and  bris^ht.  One  of  the  former  revellers  has  brouo^ht 
in  a  piece  of  wood,  a  famous  block  for  the  fire,  which 
cheers  the  wintry  night.     Each  one  brings  also  her  own 

seat.     As  they  leave,  the  violent  Mrs  F says,  "  I 

never  thought  reh'gion  was  such  a  cheerful  thing.  I 
shall  quite  long  to  come  again.  I  have  been  looking 
forward  to  this  meeting  all  the  week."  She  has  now 
purchased  a  fourpenny  Testament  for  each  of  her  three 
children,  and  is  subscribing  for  a  Bible  for  her  mother 
in  the  country. 

Here  also  was  found  Kate  the  water-cress  girl,  whose 
mother  fights  with  her — the  mother  tearing  her  frock 
off  her  shoulders  for  gin,  and  the  girl  determined  not 
to  part  with  it.     She  sheds  many  tears   during  this 

hour  of  prayer.     Mrs  B ,  too,  who  was  so  kind  to 

Mr^  W in  her  sickness,  who  often  took  her  in  a* 

cup  of  hot  cocoa  for  breakfast,  and  made  her  a  decent 
window-curtain  for  her  sick-room.  "  The  acquaintance 
between  these  dear  women,"  says  Paulina,  "  commenced 
in  my  ]\Iission-room  at  our  mothers'  meeting,  and  I 
never  hear  the  voice  of  one  raised  in  prayer  but  I  see 
the  response  in  the  tears  of  the  other  ;  and  I  fully  believe 

Mrs  W will  be  made  the  means  of  her  friend's 

conversion." 

And  there  are  two  more  "  boisterous"  ones.  Mary 
the  water-cress  girl,  twenty- two  years  of  age,  cannot 
read,  and  her  character  is  well  known   to  all  Kent 


REDEEMING  THE  TIME.  8? 

Street.  She,  too,  attends  the  Mission-room  and  prayei 
meeting.  The  backslider  also  is  there,  who  says  he 
once  felt  the  love  of  God,  but  now  "  stands  in  the  broad 
road  to  hell."  His  wife  brought  him  with  her.  Mrs 
W is  trying  to  teach  her  to  make  their  own  miser- 
able home  more  comfortable,  for  she  has  "  never  been 
able  to  do  anything  but  to  cotton  chairs." 

Yet  it  is  not  only  the  meetings,  it  is  the  visitation  of 
these  people  in  their  misery,  that  is  the  duty  yet  undone 
in  this  capital  of  Christendom.  Gaze,  you  who  desire 
work  for  the  Lord,  at  a  few  sketches  from  the  life- 
book  of  the  courts  and  alleys  of  London.     "  This  day," 

says  Paulina,  "first  saw  poor  Widower  P .     He 

was  lying  ill  upon  an  old  bedstead,  on  what  could 
scarcely  be  called  a  bed,  and  with  neither  sheet  nor 
blanket ;  these  had  been  pawned  or  sold  one  after  an- 
other to  procure  a  meal.  I  had  been  told  of  the  case 
at  a  shop  close  by,  as  being  one  of  sad  distress.  The 
shopkeeper  said  the  man  was  sober,  but  had  been  out 
of  w^ork  for  months.  'You  had  better  not  go  up,' 
added  she,  '  for  they  are  almost  naked,  and,  besides,  it  is 
not  safe.'  Safe  or  not  safe,  up  I  went,  and  found  the 
poor  children,  three  in  number,  covered  with  blotches 
from  dirt  and  disease.  '  Oh,'  said  the  man,  '  we  had 
just  given  ourselves  up  for  lost.'  The  mother  had  been 
dead  more  than  two  years,  the  eldest  girl  was  seven 
years  old,  their  old  black  frocks  hung  on  them  in 
tatters,  and  these  they  had  outgrown.  They  had  no 
underclothing.  I  believe  these  children  had  scarcely 
seen  a  human  face  for  months  except  each  other's,  and 


88  EEDEEMING  THE  TIME. 

when  I  went  in  they  began  to  cry."  Now  conies  the 
remedy.  God  has  surely  sent  Paulina  and  her  helper 
to  turn  the  tide  of  misery  like  this.  They  are  the 
right  sort  of  j^eople  to  do  it.  "  I  spoke  kindly  and 
cheerfully  to  the  poor  creatures,  and  fetched  a  comfort- 
able jug  of  soup  from  the  Mission-room,  which  brought 
scalding  tears  from  the  man's  bursting   heart.     Mrs 

W' 's  aid  was  soon  called  in,  and  she  taught  the 

eldest  child  to  wash  herself  and  the  others,  and  went  in 
once  or  twice  a-day  to  them  till  they  got  better,  taking 
some  clean  old  linen  afforded  by  the  Mission.  Soon 
tears  were  changed  to  smiles  and  the  deepest  thankful- 
ness. A  week  or  two  afterwards,  the  eldest  girl  was 
found  in  the  Mission-room,  with  clean  face  and  tidy 
hair,  helping  to  serve  the  welcome  soup  from  the  pretty 
little  copper  to  others  as  well  as  herself.  She  is  also 
admitted  to  the  work  meetings  and  I  trust  our  acquaint- 
ance with  this  family  will  prove  for  the  glory  of  God."' 

Another  record  from  the  journal  is  of  ministry  to  the 
disconsolate  widow : — 

"  Poor  Mrs  G was  at  the  mothers'  meeting  to- 
night. Her  husband  dropped  down  dead  in  coming 
from  his  club.  When  I  called  on  her  first,  she  said  I 
made  her  ten  times  worse  than  before,  and  took  to  her 
bed.  It  required  all  the  persuasion  that  could  be  used 
to  get  her  up  again,  and  then  she  said  she  should  kill 
all  her  children."  I  called  many  times,  and  being  at  last 
permitted  to  pray  with  her,  I  got  a  promise  from  her 
that  she  would  go  upon  her  knees  alone  with  God, 
(which,  I  believe,  she  kept,)  and  soon  afterwards  she 


REDEEMING  THE  TIME.  89 

came  to  my  meeting.  There,  I  believe,  I  saw  her  shed 
her  first  tear,  for  till  then  her  heart  had  been  full  of 
rebellion  ;  but  now  the  fiery  eye  was  softened,  and  there 
was  a  look  of  passive  sorrow,  as,  when  we  parted,  she 
said,  "  This  evening  has  been  such  a  comfort  to  me  !  " 
On  a  subsequent  evening,  she  was  present,  with  her 
fatherless  child  on  her  laj:),  of  seven  months  old.  She 
earned  2id.  by  her  work,  to  which  she  added  4d.,  and 
took  home  a  useful  apron. 

An  influence  is  further  gained  over  social  habits  : — 
"  Mrs  C ,  the  other  day,  invited  me  to  tea,"  con- 
tinues Paulina,  "  it  being  her  daughter's  birthday, 
*  the  first,'  said  she,  '  I  ever  kept ;  but,  bless  God !  I  'm 
a  new  mocliox^  now,  so  I  will  keep  it.'  There  were 
about  fourteen  ot  iis.  Tbis  woman,  I  believe,  was  first 
enabled  to  cast  her  sins  on  Christ,  while  singing  the 
lines  at  the  Mission-room — 

'  I  will  believe — I  do  believe, 
That  Jesus  died  for  me.' 

And  her  confidence  grows  stronger  daily.  "We  had  a 
happy  tea-meeting.  After  tea,  oranges  and  nuts  were 
placed  on  the  table,  and  with  them  some  one  put  a  pack 
of  cards.  I  had  provided  myself  with  one  of  Weaver's 
hymn-books,  and  at  once  I  started  off*,  singing,  '  We  're 
bound  for  the  land  of  the  pure  and  the  holy.'  One 
after  another  came  over  to  sing  with  me,  and  hymn  fol- 
lowed hymn  till  the  dirty  old  cards  on  the  table  were 
forgotten  ;  and  while  they  were  choosing  more  hymns 
from  the  good  little  book,  some  one  stealthily  removed 
the   cards,   and  they  did  not  make  their  appearance 


90  EEDEEMIKG  THE  TIME. 

again.  Neither  young  people  nor  old  inquired  after 
them  We  spent  a  cheerful  time  in  conversation, 
which  I  was  asked  to  close  with  prayer  ;  and  each  one 
shook  my  hand,  as  I  think  they  would  not  have  done 
that  of  a  card-playing  Bible- woman.  This  '  new  mo- 
ther '  has  since  opened  her  room  for  a  prayer-meeting, 
conducted  by  the  city  missionary." 

A  deep  sympathy  is  eviuced  with  the  people's  woes: — 

"  That  poor  Widower  P ,  how  my  heart  aches  for 

him  !  His  family  are  quite  cured  of  their  dreadful  dis- 
ease, and  he  has  a  little  work,  but  so  ill  paid  he  cannot 
clear  himself.  *  I  must  have  a  shop  score  for  food,'  said 
he,  'which  is  at  the  highest  price,  and  of  the  worst 
quality ;  and  when  their  bill  is  paid  I  have  only  Is.  6d. 
to  begin  the  week  with.'  He  works  at  night,  while 
others  sleep,  to  secure  even  this.  Now,  it  is  in  similar 
cases  to  these  that  I  feel  alone  in  my  work.  If  I  had 
a  superintending  lady,  she  would  devise  some  plan  to 
help  this  man  over  one  week,  and  then  the  difficulty 
would  cease.  The  youngest  child,  a  boy  of  two  years, 
came  and  threw  his  arms  about  my  neck  and  kissed  my 
cheek,  and  the  father  burst  into  tears.  Well,  I  thought, 
if  I  cannot  remove  their  temporal  difficulties,  I  can  let 
the  little  motherless  one  feel  that  it  is  loved ;  and  we 
knelt  together  in  prayer  to  Him  who  always  hears. 
This  man  came  to  the  Mission-room,  and  would  go  to 
no  other  place,  on  account  of  his  appearance. 

"  We  have  about  six  in  the  room  now  who  can  vo- 
cally address  the  Lord,  and  these  are  all  persons  who 
first  began  to  pray  in  that  place.  Our  meetings  are 
very  delightful.     This  winter  we  have  had  much  sing- 


EEDEEMING  THE  TIME.  91 

ing,  because  the  people's  hearts  have  been  more  than 
usually  depressed,  and  I  know  the  Bible-woman  has 
often  forgotten  her  own  sorrows  and  the  people  theirs 
while  thus  engaged.  I  have  watched  the  effect  of  this 
singing  on  their  faces.  No  poverty  then  !  No ;  the 
children  of  God  are  all  rich.  I  sometimes  wish  I  could 
collect  the  sum  of  human  woe  and  fly  up  with  it  in  my 
arms,  and  cast  it  before  the  throne  of  our  Advocate 
with  the  Father,  where  I  know  it  would  dissolve  in  the 
sunlight  of  heaven."  Ah,  dear  fellow-worker  with 
Christ,  in  His  own  time,  not  ours,  that  will  be  done ; 
and,  meanwhile,  in  many  a  soul  weighed  down  with  its 
burden  of  earthly  care,  He  is  forming  His  own  image, 
and  He  is  seeing  now  of  the  travail  of  His  own  soul, 
and  is  satisfied.  He  gives  you  to  rejoice  over  each  lost 
sheep  that  you  bring  back  to  the  fold,  ay,  to  rejoice 
with  the  angels  in  heaven,  saying,  "  This  one  was  lost, 
and  is  found."  With  regard  to  your  good  helper,  Mrs 
W ,  well  may  you  say,  "  Truly  this  is  a  new  crea- 
ture, both  inwardly  and  outwardly.  It  is  a  contrast — 
this  cheerful  and  respectable  woman,  with  a  neat  quilled 
cap,  sitting  by  me  learning  to  read  God's  precious  book, 
the  influence  of  which,  at  forty-six  years  of  age,  has 
changed  her  from  the  meagre,  downcast,  dirty,  passion- 
ate, noisy  wife  she  once  was." 

"Her  husband  has  been  frequently  known  to  say, 
that  she  is  so  altered  personally  that  he  can  scarcely 
think  she  belongs  to  him.  At  our  first  interview,  I 
found  her  with  smutty  face  and  long  tangled  hair, 
without  a  thought  of  heaven,  and  not  so  much  as  a  leaf 
of  a  Bible  in  the  house.     She  then  almost  immediately 


92  EEDEEMING  THE  TIME. 

became  anxious  about  her  soul,  so  anxious  that  she 
scarcely  touched  any  food  for  three  weeks,  although  in 
that  interval  she  was  transmuted  from  an  old  and  spi- 
ritless to  a  sprightly,  middle-aged  active  woman.  Yes, 
and  yet  she  is  not  left  without  the  cross.  Her  husband 
is  still  a  drunkard,  and  in  a  fit  of  anger  very  recently 
beat  her  so  severely,  and  gave  her  such  a  black  eye, 
that  she  was  obliged  for  days  to  keep  her  bed.  On 
mentioning  this  to  our  ladies  as  a  reason  for  her  ab- 
sence from  the  season  of  payment,  they  told  Paulina, 

that,  as  this  happened  so  often,  and  Mrs  W was 

now  connected  with  the  Mission,  they  thought  he  had 
better  be  sworn  to  keep  the  peace  towards  her,  and 
that  Paulina,  as  her  friend,  should  go  with  her  before  a 
magistrate." 

"  Arrived  at  home,  they  knelt  down  to  pray  over  this 
resolve,  and  such  faith  in  her  husband's  ultimate  con- 
version was  bestowed  upon  the  oppressed  wife,  that  she 
said  "  she  could  not  kneel  down  to  pray  for  him,  and 
then  appear  against  him  ;  she  must  leave  her  cause 
with  God."  And  he  is  since  reported  to  have  behaved 
much  better  to  her. 

Here,  then,  is  an  instance  of  the  acceptance  of  the 
message  from  God,  by  a  poor  outcast,  leading  to  "  re- 
deeming the  time  ;"  and  to  what  should  the  same  cause 
lead  those  who  have  not  her  difficulties  to  overcome  ere 
they  can  work  for  God  ?  Let  them  ponder  such  sketches 
from  nature,  and  let  the  words  ring  in  their  ears  again^ 
"  Kedeeming  the  time,  because  the  days  are  evil." 


CHAPTER  VL 

4\t  |0|U's  Hants,  mis  %ir  Mtlmt. 


'  Who  homeless  near  a  thousand  homes  have  stood. 
And  near  a  thousand  tables  pined  and  wanted  food." 

"  Oh,  man  is  dear  to  man  !     The  poorest  poor 
Long  for  some  moments  in  a  weary  life, 
"When  they  can  know  and  feel  that  they  have  been 
Themselves  the  fathers,  and  the  dealers  out 
Of  some  small  blessings — have  been  kind  to  Ruch 
As  shew'd  them  kindness ;  for  this  single  cause. 
That  we  have  ail  of  us  one  human  neart.'' 


Let  us  listen  to  the  devoted  wife  of  a  clergyman  in 

the  Strand,  who  has  taken  one  of  our  agents  to  her 
help  among  her  husband's  crowded  poor.  This  lady 
came  recently  from  a  well-ordered  country  parish  into 
the  great  world  of  London  work. 

"  I  cannot  describe,"  she  writes,  "  the  amount  of 
wickedness  of  all  kinds  in  S Yard.  It  is  wonder- 
ful, though,  how  they  cling  to  the  Bible-woman,  and 
to  her  Mission-room  opened  there.  The  people  whom 
she  has  once  brought  within  the  walls  never  seem  to 
like  to  be  long  away ;  they  appear  again  and  again, 
not  yet  always  quite  sober,  but  always  civil,  and  never 
irreverent.  This  institution  is  truly  named  the  '  Link ' 
between  them  and  better  things  ;  and  they  seem  as 
if  they  did  not  wholly  give  up  all  hope  of  themselves 
while  they  keep  in  communication  with  '  Jo  ANN  A.' 
They  cannot  always  come  '  to  buy  ; '  and,  between  gin 
and  poverty,  their  purchases  at  present  are  not  great ; 
but,  as  we  are  beginning  to  pay  them  for  their  work 
at  our  meetings,  they  will  put,  at  least,  a  part  of  that 
payment  away  on  their  clothing-cards  ;  and  so  the 
article  they  have  made  is  bought  by  themselves  They 
are  not  so  likely  to  pawn  it,  when  they  have  made  and 
Daid  for  it. 


96  THE  PEOPLE  S  WANTS, 

"  I  cannot  speak  in  too  high  terms  of  our  valuable 
friend.  Hers  is  no  light  or  pleasant  task;  but  her 
zeal  and  love  make  it  really  a  delightful  one  to  her. 
She  is  a  very  hopeful,  earnest-hearted  woman,  endued 
with  strong  faith,  and  glowing  love  to  souls ;  but, 
unless  her  Master  went  forth  with  her,  she  would  sink 
under  the  scenes  she  witnesses,  and  faint  at  the  dis- 
couragements that  she  encounters. 

"  Oh,  the  stories  that  have  been  poured  into  her  ear 
during  her  six  months'  work!  Some  of  the  poor 
creatures  say,  '  We  can  tell  you  what  we  could  never 
have  told  a  man-missionary,  and  what  we  could  never 
have  told  a  lady.'   There  was  one  victim  of  the  Thames 

the  less  for  her  walk  down  C Street  the  other  day. 

She  met  a  face  she  hardly  recognised,  it  looked  so  wild 
and  wan,  till  she  remembered  its  expression  when  pay- 
ing a  few  pence  for  a  Bible,  and  recalled  the  room  in 
which  she  had  seen  that  jDerson,  with  a  man  whom  she 
supposed  to  be  her  husband. 

"  But  '  he  whom  she  had  was  not  her  husband.'  Only 
a  few  months  before  she  was  a  respectable  housemaid, 
in  a  country  town,  to  a  family  of  good  standing.  'Keep- 
ing company '  with  a  man,  who  had  taken  work  in  the 
place,  ended  in  her  leaving  her  situation  to  get  married, 
as  she  believed ;  and,  by  her  lover's  desire,  she  accom- 
panied him  to  London,  that  the  wedding  might  take 
place  from  his  uncle's  house. 

"  The  time  was  fixed,  and  the  clothes  ready ;  but  his 
excuses  put  off  the  ceremony  day  after  day.  She  was 
in  his  power ;  and  the  uncle  and  aunt  proved  no  pro- 


AND  THEIR  WELCOME.  97 

tectors  to  her.  The  mask  the  man  had  worn  was 
thrown  off;  he  took  to  coming  home  drmik,  then  to 
beating  her ;  at  last  he  was  carried  off  to  prison  for  an 
assault  committed  in  a  deadly  drunken  fray.  The 
uncle  and  aunt  said  they  could  keep  her  no  longer. 
She  must  go  ;  she  had  no  friends,  or  she  would  have 
left  that  wretched  house  long  before.  She  dared  not 
write  home.  She  was  without  a  roof,  without  a  crust, 
without  a  hope,  and,  in  a  paroxysm  of  wild  despair, 
she  was  rushing  to — eternity  ! 

"  If  '  the  Missing  Link'  had  only  been  found  to  draw 
this  one  soul  from  perdition,  and  to  lift  her  within  the 
reach  of  mercy,  oh  !  it  would  be  well  worthy  of  anthems 
of  praise  for  ever  and  ever."" 

"'Joanna,'  who  treated  her  with  a  simple,  neighbourly 
friendship,  that  was  just  the  thing  to  soothe  her  forlorn, 
excited  feelings,  said — '  How  do  you  do  ?  what  is  the 
matter?'  The  outburst  of  her  wrongs  followed,  with 
the  fearful  announcement — '  And  now  I  'm  going  to 
put  an  end  to  it  all — I'm  going  to  drown  myself.' 
There  could  be  no  doubt  of  it  either ;  it  was  a  face  of 
despair  and  wild  determination. 

"  With  quiet  kindness  the  Bible-woman  said — '  Oh, 
I  'm  so  sorry  to  hear  of  this  !  we  '\\  talk  it  over ; '  and 
ehe  drew  her  to  a  retired  place,  where  they  could  sit 
down  on  a  step.  The  poor  girl  had  now  an  ear  into 
which  to  pour  her  tale  of  shame,  regret,  and  indignation, 
and  it  calmed  her  to  feel  she  was  engaging  one  kind 
heart's  sympathy,  and  to  be  told  that  through  all,  God 
had  watched  over  her,  and  was  waiting  to  be  gracious 


98  THE  PEOPLES  WANTS, 

to  her.  Then  came  the  tangible  proofs  of  His  mercy 
and  pity.  '  Joanna '  first  gave  her  a  little  money  from 
her  own  purse,  and  then  taking  her  to  the  house  of 
one  of  the  women  who  has  attended  the  Mothers'  Meet- 
ing from  the  first,  said  she  should  call  again  in  an 
hour,  and  came  on  to  me. 

"  I  grieve  that  illness  has  kept  me  from  personally 
seeing  as  much  of  this  poor  young  creature  as  I  should 
have  wished ;    but   she  has   been  well  cared  for  by 

'Joanna,'  and  by  my  kind  helper,   Mrs  S ,  who 

gave  her  needlework  at  her  own  house,  that  her  sad 
thoughts  might  not  prey  on  her  or  fresh  temptation 
assault  her.  I  have  seen  her  since  her  child  was  born, 
and  am  much  pleased  with  her.  Her  manners  and 
voice  are  gentle,  and  she  seems  to  have  a  deep  sense  of 
her  sin  before  God.  She  says  she  never  prayed  from 
the  time  she  left  her  place.  She  fears  sometimes  that 
God  cannot  forgive  her,  for  she  had  been  well  brought 
up ;  but  then  she  remembers  how  wonderfully  He 
rescued  her.  A  situation  has  since  been  provided  for 
her.  She  expresses  great  anxiety  that  her  child  should 
be  placed  with  people  who  will  teach  it  to  fear  God. 
We  are  about  to  write  to  her  mother,  and  tell  her  how 
her  child  was  lost  and  is  found." 

There  is  another  case  to  which,  in  this  same  district, 
the  Bible-woman  has  been  made  the  means  of  brins^insf 
help  and  hope. 

There  was  a  lodging-house  in  Hemlock  Court  which 
she  had  often  passed,  and  thought  too  formidable  to 


AND  THEIR  WELCOME.  ^      99 

enter ;  none  but  men  ever  could  be  seen  there,  and 
often  very  rough-looking  ones.  But  one  day  she 
thought,  ''  Well,  I  ought  to  shake  off  this  feeling.  I 
have  a  work  to  do  in  that  house  as  well  as  the  rest.'' 
So  she  looked  in,  and  asked  if  any  one  would  like  to 
subscribe  for  a  Bible  or  a  Testament.  She  was  courte- 
ously received,  but  the  company  appeared  too  abject  to 
enter  on  any  subscription,  and  she  was  about  to  cut 
her  first  visit  rather  short,  when  she  saw  a  pale,  sorrow- 
ful-looking man  sitting  apart  from  the  rest,  and  a 
second  glance  shewed  her  that  he  was  hlind.  She 
therefore  addressed  him,  asking  how  he  became  so, 
what  his  occupation  had  been,  and  what  were  his 
means  of  subsistence  now. 

He  had  been  a  lawyer's  clerk,  and  with  his  eyesight 
he  lost  all  his  livelihood.  His  friends  had  no  more 
than  sufficient  for  their  own  needs.  He  said  that  he 
had  received  money  at  different  times  from  persons 
well  known  in  the  ranks  of  benevolence,  of  whom  he 
spoke  in  terms  of  affecting  gratitude  ;  but  he  could  not 
bring  himself  to  apply  again  and  again  to  those  who 
had  aided  him  in  the  earlier  days  of  his  misfortune. 
He  also  grew  more  and  more  rehictant  to  put  himself 
in  the  way  of  those  kind-hearted  fellow-clerks  who  had 
often  pushed  into  the  hand  that  was  never  held  out  for 
it,  a  shilling  or  half-a-crown  that  he  knew  could  be  ill 
spared. 

He  learnt  at  one  time  how  to  make  some  simple 
mats,  for  drawing-room  tables,  out  of  wool  and  twine ; 


100  THE  people's  wants, 

but  it  was  a  passing  fashion,  and  he  only  wasted  ma- 
terial in  making  them,  and  so  he  had  sunk  lower  and 
lower  in  the  chilling  depths  of  poverty. 

At  the  time  that  "  Joanna  "  found  him,  his  resources 
had  dwindled  down  to  two  shillings  a-week  of  out- 
door relief  from  the  poorliouse.  These  two  shillings 
were  punctually  paid  for  rent  every  Saturday  night ; 
for  he  said,  "  If  a  man  has  not  got  a  roof  over  his  head, 
he  may  as  well  be  in  his  grave/' 

"  It  is  a  case  of  bitter  poverty/'  adds  the  Lady  Su- 
perintendent of  this  district,  to  whom  "Joanna"  brought 
him,  "  and  very  sad,  as  he  is  a  man  of  some  cultiva- 
tion, and  too  sensitive  to  push  his  way  through  a  world 
that  passes  him  by."  The  Bible-woman's  voice  startled 
him  from  a  reverie — "  reverie  "  is  his  own  expression 
— yet  there  was  much  in  the  character  of  his  thoughts, 
as  he  related  them  afterwards,  akin  to  supplication. 

He  had  been  weighing  the  extent  of  his  woe.  He 
felt  that  want  was  preying  upon  him,  and  that  nothing 
but  want  was  before  him.  He  had  some  trust  in  God 
— ^in  His  power  and  in  His  love — and  had  always  felt 
that,  "  if  He  did  not  help  him  as  much  as  he  wished, 
still  He  never  forgot  him,"  and  now  the  thoughts  of 
his  heart  were  turned  to  Him,  saying,  "/  know  not 
where  to  look — the  Lord  alone  has  power  to  raise  me 
up  friends."  "Joanna's"  kind  voice  soon  convinced 
him  that  the  Lord  could  and  had  raised  him  up  a 
friend.  She  told  him  of  the  "Friend  that  sticketh 
closer  than  a  brother,"  and  she  assured  him,  too,  that 
she  knew  v/hcre  there  were  earthly  helpers  who  would 


AND  THEIE  WELCOME.  J  01 

try  to  lift  liim  out  of  his  misery.  She  left  him  greatly 
cheered,  and  filled  with  surprise  and  gratitude. 

This  poor  mau  was  soon  better  clothed,  and  lodged, 
and  fed,  by  aid  of  the  Mission.  Society  owed  him 
care  in  his  helplessness,  for  he  lost  his  sight  owing  to 
cold  and  inflammation,  incurred  in  saving  the  life  of  a 
drowning  child.  A  reward  from  the  Eoyal  Humane 
Society  attests  this  fact.  From  the  year  1853  he  had 
been  the  inmate  of  hospitals,  and  in  1857  was  dis- 
charged from  St  George's  totally  blind.  Having  no 
friends  to  support  him,  and  no  means  of  subsistence, 
he  remained  for  two  years  in  the  workhouse — a  period, 
as  he  felt  it  to  be,  of  "  incarceration  " — so  that  he  pre- 
ferred to  come  out  at  any  risk,  even  though  his  release 
was  only  an  alternation  to  sickness  and  starvation,  to  a 
lodging-house  in  Hemlock  Court,  damp  sheets,  and  new 
suffering;  how  he  lived,  as  the  poor  often  say,  "God 
only  knows." 

Then  came  his  meeting  with  the  Bible-woman.  .He 
was  at  the  time  in  very  ill  health ;  yet  we  hoped  that, 
when  restored  by  a  daily  increase  of  nourishment,  he 
might  have  earned  a  comfortable  livelihood  by  teaching 
the  blind  to  read  in  their  own  homes.  But  it  was  or- 
dered otherwise. 

"  Early  in  the  month  of  March,"  says  the  kind  super- 
intendent of  the  district,  "he  breathed  his  last.  We 
have  had  much  encouragement  concerning  him  lately, 
and  have  every  reason  to  hope  that  he  truly  believed  in 
Jesus,  and  died  in  peace  I  had  lately  a  delightful  in- 
terview with  him.     He  told  me  that  he  had  constantly 


102  THE  people's  WANTS, 

cast  himself  at  the  foot  of  the  cross  in  supplicating 
prayer,  that  he  had  confessed  his  own  unworthiness, 
and  that  he  now  felt  happy,  in  the  humble  hope  of 
going  to  a  joyous  and  eternal  home — to  Jesus,  who 
died  to  save  him. 

"  His  health  had  been  failing  for  many  weeks,  and 
the  abundant  sympathy  shewn  by  the  readers  of  the 
Book  and  its  Mission  enabled  him  to  have  many  com- 
forts and  alleviations,  as  his  strength  gradually  declined. 
I  believe  that  while  we  thought  him  cold,  he  was  pon- 
dering, and  that  when  he  gave  himself  unreservedly  to 
the  Lord,  it  was  a  'reasonable  service;'  and  this  was 
doubly  satisfactory  for  so  peculiar  a  mind  as  his — long 
habituated  to  brood  over  its  sorrows.  I  believe  his 
prayers  were  truly  heartfelt,  and  his  trust  steadfast; 
his  patient  submission  and  resignation  shewed  it. 
Eroni  the  fund  placed  in  our  hands  for  him  the  last 
offices  were  performed,  as  he  would  have  desired,  for 
the  perishing  body,  which  '  Joanna '  followed  to  the 
grave,  rejoicing  that  she  and  other  friends  had  been 
privileged  to  lead  his  soul,  in  his  last  days,  to  Jesus, 
'  the  Friend  of  sinners.' " 


And,  now,  here  is  a  further  "  leaf  from  life "  in  the 
Strand — a  report  of  the  work  of  a  second  Bible-woman, 
from  the  pen  of  another  lady : — 

"  You  have  often  asked  me,''  she  says,  "  for  tidings 
of  my  district,  and  I  have  as  often  thought  that  I  had 
nothing  to  relate.     Now,  after  six  months'  working,  I 


AND  THEIR  WELCOME.  103 

cannot  tell  you  how  cheered  and  encouraged  I  feel ; 
how  I  enjoy  my  share  of  the  '  ministering,'  and  how  I 
want  to  '  go  on '  more  earnestly  than  ever. 

"You  know  'Patience's'  district  is  mostly  composed 

of  courts  and  alleys.     N Court  is  a  very  low  and 

dirty  place,  but  much  improved  since  the  Mothers' 
Meetings  have  been  attended  by  several  of  its  inmates. 
It  is  delio'htful  to  see  how  our  Bible-woman  is  loved 
and  respected,  and  how  she  has  won  her  way  into  the 
confidence  of  the  poor  creatures  who  crowd  those  back 
streets. 

"  One  poor  old  man  lives  alone  at  the  top  of  a  house; 
his  soul  seemed  a  perfect  blank  until  'Patience'  went 
and  read  to  him.  The  other  day  he  told  her  '  he  now 
knew  what  faith  meant.'  When  she  knocks  at  the 
door,  he  asks,  'Is  that  my  friend?'  She  visited  a 
woman  who  had  been  bedridden  for  montlis,  but  was 
not  destitute,  as  she  had  some  small  pension.  This 
poor  creature  pretended  to  be  deaf,  and  for  a  long  time 
refused  to  receive  either  '  Patience '  or  '  Joanna.'  How 
true  it  is  that  the  way  to  win  their  hearts  is  by  love — 
the  *  charity  that  sufFereth  long  and  is  kind  ! '  This 
poor,  hardened  creature  was  sensibly  touched  by  '  Pa- 
tience's' words  of  loving  pity  for  her  bodily  sufferings. 
*  You  may  read  if  you  like,'  was  the  result ;  and  the 
deaf  then  listened  very  attentively  during  several  con- 
secutive visits.  She  is  dead  now,  but  we  hope  some 
ray  of  God's  light  entered  her  dark  soul  before  the  last 
great  change  came. 

"  Another  poor  woman  had  given  up  drinking  for 


104  THE  people's  wants, 

four  months,  and  we  had  great  hopes  of  her  ;  alas  ! 
last  week  she  has  again  fallen  into  temptation.  We 
are  so  grieved  !  Her  husband  said  to  '  Patience,'  '  I 
know,  if  you  had  been  here,  my  wife  would  have  kept 
sober.' 

"  How  can  I  tell  you  how  God  has  heljaed  us  !  The 
man  who  at  first  said,  '  I  don't  want  Bibles,  I  want 
bread,'  has  subscribed  for  '  the  Book,'  and  now  reads  it 
every  night. 

"  There  is  a  sensible  improvement  in  the  whole  dis- 
trict since  our  Mission  began.  The  Bible-Woman  is  the 
Missing  Link,  there  is  no  doubt.  It  is  astonishing  how 
much  more  the  poor  trust  her  and  confide  in  her  than 
they  do  in  the  generality  of  lady  visitors. 

"  Now  let  me  tell  you  a  few  words  about  our  Meet- 
ings. I  only  hope  my  Mothers  enjoy  them  as  much  as 
I  do  !  The  attendance  is  good.  I  think  quite  as  many 
come  as  I  can  attend  to  ;  we  have  from  twenty  to 
thirty  regularly  present.  One  had  been  absent  for  some 
time ;  when  she  came,  last  week,  we  welcomed  her 
cordially.  She  is  very  poor,  with  many  children,  and, 
being  tired,  sat  quite  still,  with  her  baby  on  her  knee. 
As  she  was  leaving  the  room,  she  observed  to  '  Pa- 
tience,' '  This  really  has  done  me  good ;  I  will  try  and 
come  every  week.'  Several  women  never  miss  under 
any  circumstances.  The  great  comfort  and  help  de- 
rived from  the  loans  and  work  given  out  and  paid  for, 
is  refreshing  to  see. 

"  There  is  a  grandmother  amongst  us,  a  capital 
needlewoman,  and  quite  an  authority.    She  was  a  lone, 


AND  THEIR  WELCOME.  105 

sad,  friendless  old  woman,  until  'Patience'  found  her 
out,  and  brought  the  warm  light  of  the  Bible  to  her 

room.     Mrs  H has  a  husband,  who  is  out  all  day 

with  apples  or  oranges.  Though  not  a  bad  man,  he 
was  still  quite  indifferent  to  religion  until  he  went  to 
Mr  Whitwell's  lecture,  and  saw  the  beautiful  dissolving 
views.  The  picture  of  our  Saviour  on  the  cross  has 
made  a  great  impression  on  him,  and  since,  that  evening 
he  has  allowed  his  wife  to  read  and  pray  with  him 
every  night.  May  God  bless  the  good  gentleman  who 
has  carried  out  such  a  capital  plan  for  teaching  the 
most  ignorant  and  obtuse ! 

"  You  will  be  glad  to  hear  that  I  have  several  wild- 
looking  girls  as  regular  attendants  at  the  meetings. 
They  are  improving  very  much  ;  I  see  with  pleasure, 
smooth  heads  and  clean  faces,  where  before  was  a  heap 
of  dirt  and  rags.  One  of  these  girls  brings  me,  occa- 
sionally, two  or  three  apples,  which  she  suddenly  lays 
on  my  lap,  and  then  she  runs  away.  No  fruit  could  be 
sweeter  to  me  than  that  is 

"  Two  or  three  of  the  women  have  beeii  able  to  pay 
for  blankets,  entirely  by  money  earned  with  us. 

"  The  suo-gestions  of  that  kind  clergyman,  last  Mon- 
day, on  Bible-readings  to  our  Mothers'  classes,  were 
very  welcome  to  me.  I  have  tried,  and  mean  to  try,  to 
teach  in  the  way  he  recommended.  My  mothers  are 
so  attentive,  and  seem  to  enjoy  the  reading  and  prayer. 
We  always  sing  a  hymn ;  and  they  are  learning  some 

new  tunes.     My  friends,  the  Misses  H ,  help  to  fix 

the  work  and  cut  out  gaiments. 


106  THE  people's  wants, 

"I  dare  say  j^ou  have  heard  how  much  more  the 
poor   go   to   church   now   than   they   once   did.     Mr 

K ,  our  rector,  rejoices  in  the  change.     I  am  so 

glad  I  can  do  a  little  in  this  great  and  good  work.  I 
was  afraid  to  attempt  it  at  first,  but  God  has  indeed 
helped  me.  E.  M.  I." 

The  wants  of  the  people,  and  their  welcome,  always 
make  us  think  of  Hetty  in  Gravel  Lane,  We  will 
take  the  first  leaf  of  her  journal : — 

''Nov.  28,  1859.— My  first  day  of  Bible-work.  In 
four  days  I  obtained  four  subscribers  for  Bibles,  and 
twelve  jDroinises  for  clothing.  There  are  many  Eo- 
maiiists  in  my  district.  The  first  day,  one  put  me  out 
of  the  house ;  the  next  day,  two  conversed  with  me  on 
doing  penance.  I  pointed  them  to  the  all-sufficient 
sacrifice,  Jesus  Christ  the  Lamb  of  God,  '  who  taketh 
away  the  sins  of  the  world.'  They  said  they  were 
taught  to  believe  as  they  believed ;  they  could  not 
change  their  profession  now.  Some,  however,  received 
me  kindly,  and  said  they  should  subscribe  for  clothing. 
I  found  only  here  and  there  one  that  seemed  to  know 
anything  of  religion  by  experience.  In  Swan's  Court 
I  found  a  young  woman  very  ill  with  spinal  complaint ; 
has  been  confined  to  her  bed  two  years.  As  I  spoke 
of  the  love  of  God,  she  wept.  I  asked  her  if  she  had 
the  witness  of  the  Spirit  with  her  spirit  that  she  was 
the  child  of  God.  '  No,'  she  said,  '  that  is  what  I 
want.'  I  endeavoured  to  point  her  to  Jesus,  and 
prayed  with  her.  She  v/as  very  thankful.  A  man  was 
ill  witli  a  bad  tliroat ;  he  is  accustomed  to  go  to  church, 


AND  THEIR  WELCOME.  107 

and  he  appeared  to  know  the  way  to  heaven,  but  he  is 
not  walking  in  it.  I  read  and  prayed  with  him,  and 
laid  his  case  before  a  benevolent  society. 

"  My  next  conversation  was  with  a  Jewess,  at  first 
on  the  Old  Testament,  and  then,  in  my  poor  way,  I  ex- 
plained the  plan  of  salvation  by  Christ.  She  complained 
of  the  loss  of  time,  and  the  hard  tasks  that  her  religion 
imposed,  and  that  it  does  not  make  her  happy.  Her 
husband  is  a  strict  Jew,  and  she  has  been  taught  tc 
believe  that  Christ  is  not  yet  come  ;  but  she  listened 
to  me  as  I  told  her  He  was,  and  that  if  she  took  His 
yoke  upon  her,  she  would  find  it  *easy,'  and  His  burden 
*  light.'     May  the  Holy  Spirit  open  her  blind  eyes  ! 

"  I  meet  with  many  cases  of  distress  ;  people  suffer- 
ing from  wounds  and  weakness,  and  very  few  of  them 
knowing  the  Saviour,  who  can  make  labour  rest,  and 
pain  sweet,  if  suffered  for  His  sake.  In  one  house,  a 
husband,  afflicted  twelve  years,  had  not  been  able  to 
work  much ;  one  child  out  of  six,  almost  naked,  had 
had  St  Vitus's  dance ;  the  mother  has  a  wound  in  her 
leg.  I  read  and  prayed  with  them,  and  asked  the 
mother  to  come  to  my  meeting.  I  hope  the  Lord  will 
help  the  poor. 

"  This  woman  came  to  the  work-meeting  for  mothers 
in  the  afternoon,  and  seemed  most  thankful  for  a  warm 
article  of  clothing  which  I  found  for  her  to  make,  and 
which  I  said  I  would  pay  her  for  making,  and  thus 
enable  her  to  buy  it.  Three  or  four  women  were  with 
us,  one  a  mother  of  a  family  in  great  want.  I  gave 
her  a  piece  of  print  to  make  a  pinafore.    She  appeared 


108  THE  people's  wants, 

much  pleased.  One  or  two  others  brought  their  own 
work.  I  read  a  chapter  from  the  Bible  while  they 
worked.  We  sang  and  prayed,  and  they  said  it  was 
one  of  the  best  afternoons  they  ever  spent." 

So  the  Mission  begins.  In  this  case  there  was  not 
at  first  any  Lady  Superintendent  to  take  up  these 
threads  of  symj)athy  ;  but  entrance  is  gained.  "  Hetty" 
comes  for  a  while  to  head-quarters  for  her  salary,  and 
for  what  little  aid  can  be  entrusted  to  her,  though  we 
have  scarcely  time  to  read  or  attend  to  her  most  inte- 
resting journal ;  for,  thank  God,  she  is  one  of  a  now 
ever-multiplying  race,  who  shall  go  forth  through  all 
the  courts  and  allej^s  of  our  cities,  as  angels  of  mercy 
and  help.  It  is  high  time,  for  the  angel  of  death  reaps 
his  harvests  quickly  here,  whether  with  his  sickle  of 
want  and  nakedness,  or  occasionally  as  follows : — 

"I  called  in  H Street,  where  I  had  visited  a 

woman  and  her  daughter,  whose  sick  husband  was  in 
the  country  for  his  health,  but  he  had  come  up  to  spend 
Christmas  with  his  wife,  who  was  as  well  as  usual. 
She  ate  a  hearty  dinner  and  tea.  She  was  jesting  and 
laughing,  and  keeping  a  'merry'  Christmas,  as  they 
termed  it.  About  ten  o'clock  at  night  she  fell  down, 
and  died  ten  minutes  afterwards." 

Day  after  clay,  on  plods  the  Bible- woman,  amid  dirt 
and  misery,  among  shoeless,  naked  children,  and  weary 
mothers,  who,  however,  seldom  refuse  to  be  Avon  to 
the  w^ork- meeting,  where  tbey  learn  tliat  if  Jesus 
makes  our  hearts  clean,  our  homes  will  soon  be  clean 
too;  and  while,  with  tearful  eyes,  they  tell  that  they 


AND  THEIR  WELCOME.  109 

have  had  so  much  trouble,  that  they  are  "got  careless 
about  everything  but  bread  for  their  children/'  they 
add  that  they  will  try  to  mend ;  they  will  pay  for 
Bibles  when  they  are  not  quite  so  poor ;  they  hope 
God  will  bless  this  Bible-woman,  they  are  sure  He  will ; 
they  will  try  to  get  boots  to  send  a  child  to  school,  and 
so  on.  Oh,  the  word  of  hope  and  the  hand  of  help  !  It 
is  come  at  last,  poor  creatures.  We  did  not  know  how 
to  get  at  you  before,  but  now  we  will  never  let  you  go. 

"  I  do  think,"  says  "  Hetty,''  "  the  Lord  will  make  me 
a  blessing  here  to  many  of  these  sorrowful  mothers,  to 
rouse  them  to  clean  their  homes  and  their  children ; 
but,  above  all,  I  hope  to  be  the  humble  instrument  in 
God's  hand  of  leading  tflem  to  Jesus.  I  visited  a  wo- 
man, a  mother  of  a  large  family,  to-day.  As  I  knocked, 
one  of  the  children  opened  the  door,  and  as  soon  as  the 
mother  saw  me,  she  flew  to  me  and  clasped  me  in  her 
arms.  '  God  bless  you,'  said  she,  '  I  am  so  happy ! ' 
'What  makes  you  so  ? '  said  I.  *  I  am  happy,'  said  she, 
'through  you.  I  had  been  so  miserable  ever  since  you 
first  called  on  me.  You  led  me  to  feel  I  had  been  so 
great  a  sinner,  and  every  time  I  came  to  your  meeting 
I  felt  worse,  till  last  night,  and  oh !  then  I  could  have 
stayed  alU  night  while  you  was  telling  us  about  "  the 
living  water,"  and  you  so  begged  us  to  drink  of  the 
Water  of  Life,  and  to  go  and  call  our  husbands  and 
our  children  and  invite  them  to  drink  too.  I  felt,  some- 
how, to  lose  my  troubles  all  at  once.  It  was  like  the 
loosing  of  a  heavy  burden,  and  when  I  came  home  my 
'-^^lily  seemed  changed.    Though  my  boy  is  a  bad  boy, 


110  THE  people's  wants, 

he  stayed  in-doors,  and  my  husband  was  kmder,  and 
we  sang  together.  I  couki  not  sleep,  I  was  so  happy. 
I  rose  before  it  was  light  to  praise  God.  My  boy  says 
he  is  sure  you  are  a  good  woman  to  me,  and  he  will 
paint  you  some  pictures,  and  stay  at  home  of  an  even- 
ing, and  that  he  will  go  to  church,  where  you  go,  on 
Sunday,  when  he  has  some  clothes,  and  so  will  I.  I 
am  tidier  than  I  was,  now  you  have  got  me  that  gown 
and  cape — I  have  all  but  a  bonnet :  but  I  think  I  would 
go  if  I  had  no  bonnet.  Since  I  heard  that  chapter,  I 
am  so  happy.' 

"  The  portion  which  had  so  much  impressed  her  was 
the  fourth  of  St  John  ;  I  had  tried  to  speak  to  them 
from  it  as  for  eternity,  knowing  I  shall  have  to  give  an 
account  for  what  I  speak. 

"  Called,  at  a  place  I  had  missed  in  my  first  canvass- 
ing, on  Mrs  H .    Her  son  was  very  ill, — he  seemed 

to  want  proper  nourishment,  his  mother  did  not  know 
how  to  make  it.  I  made  him  some  sago,  and  fed  him 
myself.     They  are  Eomaiiists. 

"  Held  our  little  prayer-meeting  on  Tuesday  night ; 
we  had  more  people  than  I  could  find  seats  for.  The 
Lord  Jesus  was  with  us,  and  we  realised  His  presence. 
An  anxious  seriousness  was  depicted  on  thei*^  counte- 
nances." 

At  the  next  meeting  the  Bible-woman  seems  to  have 
had  a  sad  cold,  and  could  scarcely  speak  to  the  people. 
Some  of  them  wept  because  she  looked  ill.  They  said 
what  should  they  do  without  her  now  ;  and  one  of  them 
added,  "  She  had  no  other  friend  in  the  world." 


AND  THEIR  WELCOME.  Ill 

"Early  next  morning  those  women  came  to  see  how 
I  was,  and  to  know  what  they  could  do.  One  lighted 
the  fire,  another  brought  a  herring,  another  a  remedy 

for  the  face-ache.     Mrs  B 's  boy  has  not  been  out 

of  a  night  since  first  I  saw  him." 

After  a  time,  a  Lady  Superintendent  offered  for 
"  Hetty,"  and  the  district  has  been  fairly  productive  in 
its  first  year's  work.  It  has  had  67  subscribers  for 
Bibles,  and  75  for  articles  of  clothing.  We  have  re- 
ceived for  it  £53,  10s.  in  donations  ;  £7,  Us.  for  Bibles 
sold  ;  and  £16,  lis.  lOd.  from  the  people  for  their  own 
clothing.  The  expenditure  has  been  as  follows : — 
£30,  10s.  6d.,  salary ;  £6,  14s.,  rent  of  Mission-room ; 
£20,  10s.  lid.,  returned  to  the  people  in  clothing,  and 
in  payment  for  needlework ;  £6,  Is.  6d.,  in  aid  and 
loan.  The  balance  in  hand  for  the  district  is  £13, 
15s.  lid.  With  regard  to  the  true  missionary  work 
accomplished  in  this  little  circle,  let  the  following  fetter 
speak.  It  was  sent  to  the  Lady  Superintendent  in  con- 
sequence of  an  unfounded  report  that  had  gone  abroad 
that  this  Bible-woman  was  to  be  transferred  to  another 
position.  We  give  it  verbatim,  with  a  few  retrench- 
ments : — 

"  Dear  Lady, — It  is  with  great  grief  that  I  hear 

that  you  want  to  remove  my  dear  Mrs to  another 

district ;  but  I  hope,  please  God,  you  will  not.  I  will 
teU  you  what  she  has  done  for  me.  Through  her  I  can 
say,  '  I  once  was  blind,  but  now  I  see.' 

*  O'er  ruin's  brink  I  almost  fell; 
Glory  to  God,  I  'm  out  of  hell.' 


112  THE  people's  WANTS, 

There  was  not  a  greater,  blacker  sinner  than  I  was, 
yet  God  has  had  mercy  on  me.  I  was  brought  up  with 
pious  parents  respectable,  and  I  was  the  greater  sinner, 
because  I  had  had  those  privileges.  If  I  were  to  give 
my  life,  a  large  book  would  not  contain  it.  I  am  a 
brand  plucked  from  the  burning. 

"Blessed  be  God  I  ever  met  with  dear  Mrs  . 

1  think  it  would  be  cruel  to  take  such  a  blessing  from 
this  district.  The  souls  of  the  peoj)le  about  here  are  as 
dear  to  Christ  as  anywhere  else.  This  is  a  place  that 
requires  some  in  earnest  for  souls.  Oh,  do  not  take 
her  away !  There  is  much  work  to  be  done  here  yet ; 
let  her  stop  a  little  longer.  I  will  tell  you  what  I  was 
before  she  came  to  me. 

"  I  was  a  drunkard,  a  swearer,  a  Sabbath-breaker, 
and  a  companion  of  all  the  lowest  and  most  depraved 
people  you  can  mention.  I  cannot  tell  you  all  I  have 
been,  but  I  will  give  you  a  sketch  of  my  life  this  last 
year. 

"  Last  October  my  dear  baby  was  born,  who  is  now 
in  heaven ;  to  my  shame,  I  must  say  that  I  never  was 
sober  the  whole  of  the  time  she  was  spared  to  me. 
Last  Christmas  (what  a  Christmas !)  my  wicked  com- 
panions came  on  the  Monday  to  fetch  me  out,  and  they 
had  no  trouble  to  get  me,  I  was  quite  as  willing  as  they. 
We  went  to  the  first  j)u.blic-house,  and  I  shall  never 
forget  the  call  for  the  first  half -pint  of  rum,  and  the 
landlord  gave  us  another.  I  think  I  was  tipsy  four 
times  on  that  day,  and  had  soda-water  to  sober  me. 
I  hope  you  will  excuse,  and  pray  that  I  may  be  kept 


AND  THEIR  WELCOME.  113 

from  ever  falling  again.  I  will  tell  you  all,  to  sliew 
what  a  hell-deser^dng  sinner  I  am.  On  that  Monday 
my  dear  baby  was  ill,  and  I  took  no  notice.  I  thought 
when  I  had  my  frolic  over  I  would  attend  to  her ;  but 
God  thought  otherwise,  and  when  I  woke  on  the  Wed- 
nesday morning  my  babe  was  dead  on  my  arm. 

'*  Oh,  you  would  suj^pose  that  would  have  been  a  warn- 
ing to  me  ;  but  no,  it  made  me  worse  than  I  was  before. 
I  took  to  drinking  harder  than  ever,  and  fighting,  and 
every  other  sin.  I  did  not  care  what  became  of  me.  I 
said  there  was  no  forgiveness  for  me,  so  it  was  no 
matter  how  my  life  ended.    I  had  no  friends  to  go  to — 

no  one  to  shew  me  the  right  way.    One  of  Mr  A 's 

missionaries  did  speak  to  me  at  the  door ;  I  remembered 
my  dear  praying  mother,  and  I  could  not  help  crying. 
He  spoke  a  word  to  me,  but  then  left  me.  He  did  not 
pray  with  me,  and  I  could  not  pray  for  myself.  Oh 
no,  the  devil  would  not  let  me,  and  I  went  to  the 
public-house,  and  forgot  all.  If  that  good  man  had 
prayed  with  me,  it  might  have  stopped  me.  But  what 
a  mercy !  I  was  brought  in  contact  with  this  dear 
Christian  woman  that  has  been  sent  to  be  with  us. 
Oh,  do  not  take  her  away  1  I  had  another  temptation  : 
I  thought  I  would  make  away  with  myself,  but  I  did 
not  like  to  leave  my  child ;  and  then  I  thought  I  would 
kill  my  husband  and  child  too.  Ah,  how  often  I  have 
called  upon  God  to  strike  me  dead !  He  knows. 

"  Now  it  happened  that  a  poor  woman,  who  said  she 
had  been  brought  'out  of  darkness  into  marvellous 
light,'  came  to  me,  and  told  me  she  had  come  into  the 

H 


114  THE  PEOPLE'S  WANTS, 

right  way  through  dear  Mrs  W ,  and  she  began  to 

talk  to  me.  I  said  there  was  nothing  but  hell  for  me, 
but  at  last  she  persuaded  me  to  go  to  the  afternoon 
mothers'  meeting.  I  only  listened  to  what  the  others 
said,  and  soon  dropped  going  there  ;  but  then  the  same 
person  came  and  persuaded  me  to  go  to  the  prayer-meet- 

ino:,  and  I  beo^an  to  like  to  listen  to  dear  Mrs  W 's 

prayers,  and  very  soon  she  pointed  me  to  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb.  I  was  very  miserable,  and,  at  first,  I  told  her 
I  did  not  like  to  be  talked  to,  and  I  would  not  go  any 
more ;  but,  blessed  be  God,  she  would  not  let  me  be. 
Oh,  the  miserable  sinner  she  made  me  see  myself !  Oh, 
the  horrible  pit  I  was  hovering  over !  Had  not  God 
directed  her  to  me,  where  should  I  have  been  now  ?  I 
could  not  have  gone  on  much  longer.  Oh,  do  not  take 
her  away  yet.  Let  her  be  with  us  a  little  longer. 
This  is  a  dark  district.  There  wants  some  one  in 
earnest  for  Christ  here  !  Do  let  her  stop — what  shall 
I  do  without  a  guide,  I  am  such  a  young  beginner  ? 
What  should  we  do  without  our  little  prayer-meeting 
in  the  morning  ?  Do  let  her  stop,  for  the  love  of  Christ ! 
Do  let  her  stop,  for  the  love  of  sinners,  and  their 
never-dying  souls!  Do  not  take  her  away,  she  has 
been  the  means  of  bringing  me  to  the  feet  of  Jesus, 
and  yet  there  are  many  to  come  to  Christ.  May  the 
Lord  help  her  and  keep  her ;  and  I  hope  that  I  shall 
hold  on  my  way  rejoicing  in  God  my  Saviour,  and  I 
hope  He  will  prosper  the  work. — K.  B." 

Take  this  letter,  dear  reader,  whoever  you  are,  who 
have  prayed  for  and  helped  the  Bible- women ;  and  it  is 


AND  THEIR  WELCOME.  115 

surely  but  the  beginning  of  a  mighty  answer  to  your 
prayers. 

Walk  along  with  "  Hetty,"  the  mission  name  of  the 

Mrs  W referred  to,  by  which  we  know  her,  though 

the  people  do  not.  She  is  just  returned  from  a  fort- 
night's rest  in  the  country  with  kind  Christian  friends, 
who  delight  to  comfort  the  oft-weary  frame  of  those 
who  are  Christ's  servants,  for  His  sake.  She  says  in 
her  journal — "  My  poor  mothers  were  very  glad  to  see 
me  back,  and  had  some  new  troubles  to  tell  me  ;  one 
was  sick,  and  another's  husband  out  of  work,  and  some 
had  been  unkindly  treated,  which  they  attributed  to 
my  absence,  as  well  as  the  worse  behaviour  of  their 
children.  '  If  you  had  been  at  home,  I  should  only 
have  had  to  say  I  would  tell  you,  and  that  would  have 
been  enough  for  them.'  Poor  things,  how  my  heart 
rejoiced  to  see  them,  and  to  receive  the  little  proofs  of 
their  affection.  One  brought  me  a  purse,  and  another 
took  her  gold  ring  off  her  finger  and  placed  it  on  mine 
as  a  token  of  love,  and  they  said,  '  We  have  been  past 
your  door  every  day  to  see  if  your  shutters  were  open, 
longing  to  be  the  first  to  see  you  when  you  came  home.' 
One  brought  me  a  small  case  of  birds,  when  I  was 
alone,  saying,  '  Oh,  that  prayer  that  you  prayed  when 
my  husband  broke  his  ribs,  how  it  made  me  cry,  and 
so  it  did  him.  We  talk  about  it  now  sometimes.  I 
wish  you  would  pray  with  me  once  more.'  As  we  rose 
from  our  knees,  amid  tears,  she  sobbed,  '  Oh,  I  wish  I 
were  as  happy  as  you  ;  but  I  am  such  a  sinner.'  I  told 
her  we  had  been  to  the  Friend  of  sinners. 


116  THE  people's  waists, 

"  I  asked  a  woman,  who  seemed  deeply  affected  at 
our  meetiBg,  whether  she  would  go  to  hear  Weavee, 
at  St  Martin's  Hall.  She  said,  while  the  tears  streamed 
down  her  cheeks,  '  I  can't,  for  I  've  no  boots.'  I  took 
my  own  off,  saying,  *  Will  these  fit  you?'  They  did. 
She  went  at  once,  and  becoming  still  more  deeply  con- 
vinced she  was  a  sinner,  returned  to  find  me  still  among 
the  penitents,  and  she  found  Jesus,  too,  with  us — praise 
the  Lord  !   After  again  praying  with  her,  she  exclaimed, 

*  I  am  so  happy  1 

"  I  will  believe — I  do  believe, 
That  Jesus  died  for  me." ' 

I  saw  her  a  few  days  afterwards,  and  still   '  so  happy.' 

*  My  husband 's  out  of  work,'  she  said  ;  '  I  have  scarce 
anything  to  eat,  and  four  children,  but,  in  all  my 
trouble,  I  am  so  happy.  Can  it  be  right?'  To  try 
her,  I  asked  her  what  it  was  that  made  her  so,  and  she 
answered,  '  I  am  hapjoy  because  J^sus  spoke  peace  to 
me.' 

"  Again  I  called  on  her,  and  found  her  husband  at 
home  with  rheumatism.  Poor  man,  he  seemed  amazed 
at  his  wife's  new-found  joy  in  the  midst  of  so  much 
trouble,  and  *  wished  he  could  get  it  too,  but  did  not 

know  where.'     *0h,'  she  said,  'Mrs  W can  tell 

you.  I  will  get  her  to  conje  and  see  you.  She  spoke 
so  plain  ;  you  did  not  understand  the  missionary,  but 
she  speaks  as  simple  as  a  child,  and  you  will  be  sure 
to  understand.'  I  am  sorry  to  repeat  this,  but,  thank 
God,  it  was  the  way  He  was  preparing  the  man's  heart 
to  receive  His  own  message.     Surely  my  Master  went 


A2f  D  THEIR  WELCOME.  1 1 7 

before  me,  and  prepared  the  way.  The  wife  j^rayed  so 
earnestly  in  the  morning  for  her  husband,  that  I  felt 
sure  God  would  hear  the  prayer,  and  I  wondered  not 
the  man  received  me  gladly.  Tears  of  penitence  rolled 
down  his  cheeks,  and  he  became  a  humble  supplicant 
at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  while  his  wife  again  poured  forth 
such  a  prayer,  and  we  all  three  wept  and  rejoiced  to- 
gether.    Before  I  left  she  said  to  him,  ^  Didn't  I  tell 

you  God  would  make  Mrs  W a  blessing  to  you?' 

but  I  believe  it  was  her  simple  reliance  on  Himself  that 
was  honoured,  as  much  as  if  I  had  heard  our  Lord  say, 
'  My  daughter,  go  in  peace.  Be  it  unto  thee  even  as 
thou  wilt."  Now  husband  and  wife  come  to  the  meet- 
ings together,  and  spend  the  Sundays  together,  in  going 
to  public  worship,  and  say  they  never  were  so  happy  in 
all  their  lives.  Poor  creatures  !  they  sold  a  bit  of  car- 
pet for  food  yesterday,  and  had  then  scarce  anything  to 
eat,  but  are  yet  '  so  happy.'  Bless  God,  I  know  their 
secret ;  the  less  we  have  of  this  world's  good  to  draw 
our  attention  the  nearer  we  try  to  get  to  Jesus,  and 
insure  His  love,  when  all  else  frowns  on  us.  They  used 
to  sit  and  groan  over  their  '  ill  fate,'  as  they  termed  it, 
for  they  have  seen  better  days,  before  work  became  so 
dead ;  but  now  it  is,  '  Rejoice  evermore.  This  is  the 
Lord's  doing,  and  it  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes.' " 

Then  comes  a  reference  to  the  writer  of  the  letter 
given  in  p.  Ill : — ''Eight  weeks  ago,  Mrs  B pro- 
fessed to  find  the  Pearl  of  Great  Price.  This  is  a  day 
of  rejoicing  in  heaven,  for  the  dead  is  alive,  and  the 
lost  is  found.     Her  husband  has  cause  to  be  thankful, 


118 

for,  instead  of  finding  her  at  the  gin-shop,  he  finds  her 
in  prayer,  and  his  meal  ready,  and  the  place  clean,  and 
a  tract,  or  a  chapter  in  the  Bible,  waiting  for  him,  too. 
I  do  humbly  thank  God  for  condescending  to  use  me 
as  the  instrument  of  her  conversion  the  first  day  we 
commenced  our  nine  o'clock  morning  prayer-meeting 
in  the  district,  in  which  we  steadily  persevere,  and  have 
six,  eight,  ten,  and  sometimes  fourteen  present. 

"Sept.  1860. — Bless  God  !  another  wanderer  restored 
to  the  fold,  which  once  she  knew.  If  there  is  any  class 
of  sinners  I  feel  more  for  than  another,  it  is  that  of 
poor  backsliders,  for  I  have  been  one  myself.  This 
woman  had  been  led  away  by  bad  company,  got  into 
debt,  and  made  away  with  her  things.  The  husband, 
when  he  found  it  out,  was  almost  broken-hearted,  and 
said  he  must  keep  his  money,  and  lay  it  out  himself. 
They  had  not  spoken  to  each  other  for  seven  weeks 
when  she  saw  me.  I  was  sure  she  had  some  deep 
trouble,  and  I  told  the  Lord  of  it  in  prayer,  and  asked 
that,  if  it  were  sin,  the  precious  blood  of  Christ  might 
heal  the  wound.  This  seemed  as  a  dagger  to  pierce 
her  soul,  and  she  cried  aloud  for  mercy.  When  she 
unburthened  her  heart  to  me,  we  went  on  our  knees 
again,  and  besought  pardon,  and  as  soon  as  she  had 
found  peace  with  God,  she  said  she  must  seek  it  with 
her  husband.  She  acknowledged  her  fault,  and  he  for- 
gave her.  They  asked  me  to  tea  with  them,  and  we 
praised  the  Lord  together. 

"  I  felt,  when  I  looked  round  at  what  the  Lord  was 
doing,  '  I  believed  not  for  joy/  like  the  disciples  of  old , 


AND  THEIR  WELCOME.  119 

and  I  asked  two  missionaries  to  see  if  it  was  real,  and 
not  a  vision  or  a  dream,  and  they  returned  with  joyful- 
ness.  The  ])eople  send  for  me  so  often,  that  although 
the  spirit  is  willing,  the  flesh  is  weak  from  the  excess 
of  toil.  Still,  the  Lord  is  my  strength.  The  poor 
people  have  named  me  '  mother.'     It  is  so  cold,  they 

say,  to  call  me  Mrs  W .     It  would  do  your  heart 

good  to  hear  the  prayers  they  pour  forth. 

"  But  now,  I  have  told  you  of  the  sunshine,  must  I 
not  also  tell  of  the  storm  ?  I  have  not  said  how  many 
times  I  get  the  door  shut  against  me,  nor  how  often  I 
am  insulted  and  told,  '  I  don't  want  you.'  '  I  have  no 
time  to  talk.'  '  It  is  all  very  well  for  you  to  be  religious. 
I  will,  if  you  will  pay  me  for  it.'  But  words  of  warn- 
ing or  forgiveness  find  their  way  in  sooner  or  later, 
only  it  takes  time ;  and  then  there  is  the  dirt,  and 
rags,  and  filth,  and  distress,  and  misery.  Sin  runs 
down  the  street  as  in  a  mighty  torrent.  When  they  say 
they  have  no  Bibles,  and  no  money,  I  tell  them  they 
find  money  for  the  gin-shop ;  and  while  my  soul  re- 
joices on  one  hand,  my  heart  aches  on  the  other.  I 
feel  every  day  that  it  is  not  by  might  nor  by  power, 
but  by  His  Spieit,  that  the  Lord  must  move  this 
people.  '  He  is  the  God  of  the  spirits  of  all  flesh  ;  is 
anything  too  hard  for  the  Lord?'  H." 


As  we  set  a  high  value  on  "  Native  Evidence,"  espe- 
cially when  spontaneous,  we  wiU  further  illustrate  the 


120  THE  people's  wants, 

people's  welcome  by  a  letter  from  a  part  of  Lambeth, 
well  known  as  "The  New  Cut  ;''  first  indicating  the 
previous  necessities  of  the  district,  in  a  letter  from  the 
Superintending  Lady : — 

"My  dear  Feiend, — I  am  anxious  to  tell  you  I 

have  secured  the  use  of  the  schoolroom  in  C Place 

for  '  Phoebe,'  and  that,  with  much  trembling  and  weak- 
ness, we  have  commenced  our  mothers'  meetings  there. 
You  will  be  able  to  judge  what  the  locality  is  we  are 
trying  to  benefit,  when  I  tell  you  that  we  cannot  hold 
our  meetings  peaceably,  but  I  am  obliged  to  pay  a 
person  to  stand  and  keep  the  children  from  quarrelling 
outside. 

"  At  our  second  meeting  we  had  thirteen  mothers 
present,  when  a  zealous  missionary  of  the  district  kindly 
explained  to  them  the  object  we  had  in  view  in  gather- 
ing them  together.  I  trust  they  will  have  a  blessing, 
and  that  the  good  they  will  thus  receive  will  more  than 
compensate  for  the  extra  expenses  incurred  by  the  use 
of  the  room.  We  are  waiting  and  hoping  to  see  great 
changes  in  this  degraded  and  poverty-stricken  district, 
and  although  it  is  still  'the  day  of  small  things,' 
'Phoebe'  is  not  without  encouragement.  There  is  a 
reviving  and  refreshing  influence  pervading  her  weekly 
prayer-meetings ;  they  are  well  and  regularly  attended 
by  several,  who  seem  aroused  to  care  for  their  souls, 
and  two  poor  women,  whom  she  has  been  urging  to 
refrain  from  drunkenness,  now  feel  it  a  privilege  to 
join  her  at  family  worship  in  her  Mission-room,  at  nine 
o'clock  in  the  morning.     She  has  been  making  sue- 


AND  THEIR  WELCOME.  12J 

cessful  efforts  to  reclaim  the  drunkards  of  her  own 
sex. 

"  One  poor  woman,  who  is  trying  to  forsake  her  evil 
ways,  has  been  much  persecuted  by  her  neighbours,  but 
she  is  still  persevering,  and,  after  much  anguish  of 
spirit,  has  obtained  peace  of  mind.  She  is  very,  very 
poor,  and  often  does  not  know  where  to  find  her  daily 
bread.  She  will  not  work  on  the  Sabbath,  and  '  Phoebe' 
has  told  her  she  shall  never  want  a  dinner  on  that  day, 
if  she  will  let  her  know  when  she  has  been  unable  to 
earn  one.  I  am  not  surprised  a  Bible-woman  here  feels 
discouraged.  I  think  there  are  more  drunken  women 
in  this  district  than  in  any  other ;  it  is  quite  appalling, 
and  needs  something  more  than  human  wisdom  to 
grapple  with  it.     During  her  visitations  one  afternoon, 

she  went  into  C Court  and  W Street,  and 

found  the  whole  of  the  women  in  the  court  intoxicated. 
She  has  now  hopes  of  four  of  these  women,  and  two  of 
them  attend  a  place  of  worship.  One  had  not  entered 
the  house  of  God  for  thirteen  years.  It  is  for  such  as 
these  we  pray  and  labour,  and  I  cannot  doubt  but  that, 
if  we  do  so  earnestly  and  believingly,  we  shall  receive 
a  blessing.  M.  P." 

Such  being  the  sowing-timC;  we  now  perceive  the 
beginning  of  the  harvest : — 

"Madam,— I  hope  you  will  pardon  the  liberty  I  am 
about  to  take  in  writing  these  few  lines  to  you  about 
our  Bible-woman  in  the  '  New  Cut.'  I  have  known 
her  ever  since  she  came  on  the  district,  being  one  of 
her  first  subscribers,  and  having  had  a  Family  Bible  of 


122  THE  people's  wants, 

her.  I  observe  she  is  one  who  says  very  little  about 
herself,  and  I  thought  it  might  be  interesting  to  you 
and  the  friends  of  the  Mission,  to  know  how  the  work 
was  getting  on,  and  that  the  Lord  is  blessing  her 
labours  ;  and  though  it  is  but  the  day  of  small  things, 
yet  I  rejoice  to  say  that  the  seed  is  springing  up,  and 
will,  I  trust,  bring  forth  fruit  to  the  honour  and  glory 
of  God. 

"  From  my  first  acquaintance  with  her,  I  found  her 
an  liumble,  sincere  Christian,  a  true  '  Phoebe,'  one  that 
lives  to  benefit  her  fellow-creatures.  I  must  say  I  feel 
very  thankful  to  God  that  she  ever  visited  me,  for  I 
have  profited  greatly  by  her  visits.  I  feel  interested 
in  her  work,  and  I  regularly  attend  her  meetings,  which 
are  daily  increasing ;  ■  and  I  am  happy  to  say  several 
have  been  brought  to  God  through  her  instrumentality, 
and  others  are  seeking  Him.  Two  out  of  the  number 
are  backsliders,  brought  back  to  the  fold  of  Christ,  and 
also  one  of  their  husbands,  who  had  not  been  in  a  place 
of  worship  for  years.  The  wife  persuaded  him  to  attend 
the  services  held  at  the  Victoria  Theatre,  and  has  told 
me  since,  it  was  a  blessed  thing  for  her  that  he  went, 
for  he  is  quite  a  changed  man.  He  used  to  spend  his 
evenings  at  a  public-house,  and  now  he  passes  them  at 
home  with  his  family,  reading  the  Word  of  God ;  they 
have  also  established  family  j)rayer,  and  I  believe  they 
are  training  their  children  in  the  fear  and  love  of  God, 
and  that  is  a  great  thing,  for  they  live  in  one  of  the 
worst  couits  in  the  New  Cut. 

"  There  is  also  another  poor  creature  living  in  the 


AND  THEIE  WELCOME.  123 

same  court,  who  told  me  she  was  as  dark  and  as  igno- 
rant about  the  plan  of  salvation  as  any  heathen  could 
possibly  be  when  the  Bible-woman  first  visited  her. 
She  said,  '  I  thought  when  she  spoke  to  me  of  religion 
being  such  a  happy  thing,  that  it  was  not  true,  but  she 
came  again  and  spoke  so  kindly,  that  I  listened  more 
attentively  to  what  she  said.  She  lent  jne  some  little 
books,  and  invited  me  to  her  meetings,  and  I  went,  for 
when  I  read  the  little  book,  "  Come  to  Jesus,"  I  found 
it  described  my  true  character.  I  went  to  the  meeting 
again  ;  I  began  to  be  alarmed  at  my  state ;  I  left  off 
working  on  Sundays ;  and  shortly  after  God  shewed 
me  what  a  vile  sinner  I  was.  I  thought  I  saw  hell 
opened  just  ready  to  receive  me.  I  cried  out  so  loud 
that  the  people  in  the  house  heard  me,  and  said  I  was 
going  mad  ;  but  I  kept  on  crying,  "  God,  be  merciful 
to  such  a  vile  sinner  ;  Lord,  save  me."  At  last,  I  thought 
I  would  go  to  the  Bible-woman,  and  ask  her  to  pray 
for  me ;  so  I  went,  and  she  prayed  earnestly  that  God 
would  speak  peace  to  my  soul,  and,  thank  God,  I  felt 
He  had  pardoned  me.  I  left  her  house  really  rejoicing 
in  Christ,  and  now  I  can  say,  though  sometimes  I  have 
not  even  a  jAece  of  bread  in  the  cupboard,  that  I  never 
was  so  happy  in  my  life.  I  have  been  in  better  cir- 
cumstances than  now,  but  knew  not  what  true  happi- 
ness w^as  till  I  found  Christ ;  and  I  do  ^^ray  that  the 
Bible-woman  may  be  the  instrument  in  God's  hands  of 
bringing  many  more  such  sinners  as  I  was  to  Christ. 
I  bless  God  that  ever  she  visited  me.'  This  woman 
frequently  speaks  of  herself  in  the  meeting  to  others, 


124  THE  people's  wants, 

telling  them  she  had  been  guilty  of  every  crime,  with 
the  exception  of  wilful  murder.  I  feel  convinced  she  is 
truly  sincere,  not  only  as  regards  her  own  soul,  but  she 
is  also  anxious  about  her  poor  neighbours.  She  has 
one  daughter,  who  is  living  in  sin,  for  whom  she  prays 
earnestly.  She  was  very  much  persecuted  at  first,  but 
now  they  begin  to  respect  her,  and  if  they  want  a  favour 
done  they  go  to  her,  because  they  say  they  know  she 
won't  refuse  them  if  it  is  in  her  power  to  help  them. 

"  I  have  known  this  person  lend  her  last  penny,  and 
give  her  last  bit  of  bread  to  a  poor  hungry  child  that 
has  been  neglected  by  its  drunken  parents.  I  believe 
she  often  feels  what  it  is  to  want  herself,  but  she  does 
not  complain ;  she  says,  when  she  compares  her  cir- 
cumstances last  winter  with  the  present,  she  does  not 
know  how  to  be  thankful  enough  ;  last  winter  she  was 
lying  on  the  floor  with  scarcely  any  covering,  and  now 
she  has  got  a  mattress,  a  nice  warm  blanket,  and  a 
lined  coverlet,  many  thanks  to  kind  friends  for  them  ; 
but  still  she  is  often  without  firing,  for  unless  a  friend 
gives  her  a  coal-ticket,  she  cannot  afford  to  buy  out  of 
her  earnings  at  the  embroidery  work,  though  sometimes 
she  works  till  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  to  pay  her  rent, 
as  her  average  earnings  do  not  exceed  fourpence  per 
day,  and  her  sight  is  very  bad.  It  is  doubtful  whether 
she  will  not  lose  it  altogether.  I  know  some  people 
would  say  she  would  be  better  off  in  the  workhouse, 
but  she  tried  that  last  winter.  She  was  there  eight 
days,  which  was  quite  enough  to  make  her  feel  the 
privilege  of  staying  in  a  room  of  her  own.  where  she 


AND  THEIE  WELCOME.  125 

has  the  privilege  of  attending  a  place  of  worship  when 
she  is  able,  and  quietly  reading  her  Bible,  which  she  ob- 
tained through  the  Bible- woman.  She  has  now  nothing 
to  molest  her,  with  the  exception  of  the  brawls  in  the 
court,  and  that  she  says  is  much  quieter  than  it  was. 
She  is  a  light  in  that  dark  court,  and  I  am  happy  to 
say,  she  is  not  putting  it  under  a  bushel,  but  letting 
her  neighbours  see  it ;  I  have  no  doubt  but,  with  God's 
blessing,  she  will  be  made  useful  to  many  of  them. 
There  is  a  poor  old  bigoted  Catholic  living  in  the  next 
room  to  her,  to  whom  she  often  speaks  of  the  love  of 
Jesus,  telling  her  how  happy  she  is,  and  that  she  is  not 
afraid  of  death  ;  and  the  old  woman  says  she  wishes 
she  could  feel  like  it,  for  she  is  very  much  terrified  at 
death,  and  talks  about  sending  for  the  priest  to  come 

and   'put  her  to  rights,'  and  then  Mrs  T tries 

again  to  persuade  her  to  give  herself  to  Jesus  and  He 
will  take  away  the  fear  of  death. — I  remain.  Madam, 
yours  respectfully,  E.  W. 

"  P.S. — I  just  wish  to  mention  that  we  do  think  it 
is  in  answer  to  prayer  that  those  gifts  of  warm  clothing 
and  coals  have  been  so  kindly  distributed  within  the 
last  week ;  we  have  not  forgotten  to  thank  God  and 
pray  for  a  blessing  on  the  donors.  *  It  is  more  blessed 
to  give  than  to  receive.' '' 

And  thus  the  Saviour  of  our  souls  is  still,  and  per- 
haps more  than  ever,  using  the  ''weak  things  of  the 
world"  to  carry  His  "good  tidings  of  great  joy''  into 
earth's  darkest  corners.  Poverty,  hunger,  and  rags 
are  forgotten  in  that  "joy,"  for  it  becomes  a  well- 


126  THE  people's  wants, 

spring  in  the  soul,  "  springing  up  unto  everlasting 
life" — all  the  more  precious  if  it  arises  in  a  desert, 
or  if  it  purifies  a  clen.  This  is  the  "living  water" 
that  can  even  quench  the  raging  thirst  of  the  poor 
half-starved  body,  for  noxious  stimulants  which  it  so 
often  craves,  that  it  may  forget  its  degradation,  and 
remember  its  misery  no  more. 

A  thriftless,  slatternly  woman  makes  a  disorderly 
house,  in  which  there  can  be  no  "joy."  She  under- 
stands not  the  duties  of  a  "  wife,"  and  she  knows  not 
how  to  turn  it  into  a  "home."  She  drives  her  hus- 
band to  drink,  and  meets  with  ill  treatment  from  him 
when  drunken  ;  and,  having  none  to  symi3athise  with 
her,  she  grows  reckless  and  drunken  also,  to  drown  her 
despair.  This  is  the  history  of  two  thirds  of  the 
women  in  every  low  street  of  a  large  city,  and  of  those 
in  many  a  town  and  even  village  likewise. 

"  I  think,"  says  Phoebe  in  her  journal,  "  that  if  such 
couples  were  visited,  and  saw  they  had  a  sympathising 
friend  who  wanted  to  feed  their  starving  souls,  and 
teach  them  better  ways,  it  would  be  the  best  means  of 
lifting  up  a  race  of  broken-hearted  wives,  and  of  saving 
many  a  family  from  ruin." 

Keader,  it  is  the  Office  of  a  kind,  motherly  Bible-woman 
not  only  to  draw  these  people  to  listen  to  a  message 
from  God  at  the  first,  but  also  to  watch  them,  amid 
their  early  slips  and  temptations,  and  win  them  back 
again  into  the  way  of  amendment ;  helping  them  against 
the  force  of  long  habit.  Eemember  the  atmosphere,  and 
the  houses  in  which  they  dwell — their  daily  life  so  full 


AND  THEIE  WELCOME.  12? 

of  avenues  to  evil!  If  the  number  of  these  Bible- 
women  were  multiplied  tenfold,  they  would  not  be  too 
many  for  London  only. 

What  have  you  done — what  will  you  do,  to  create 
this  agency  in  any  neighbourhood  which  needs  it? 
And  what  will  you  do,  when  created,  to  sustain  its 
efficiency  by  your  influence  and  your  prayers  ?  It  is 
not  enough  to  have  begun  it.  It  will  be  terrible  to  have 
let  the  people  take  hold  of  it,  as  they  have  already,  and 
then  fail  to  continue  it.  In  fact,  the  Lord  will  not  have 
it  so.  He  would  call  it  out  as  unpaid  and  free  labour 
from  among  themselves.  He  is  now  doing  this  in 
many  instances.  But  shall  the  upper  classes  of  society 
lose  the  privilege  of  its  regulation  ?  Shall  those  who 
possess  wealth,  education,  and  teaching  power,  forego 
their  deep  responsibilities?  They  have  now  to  deal 
with  a  preparedness  of  heart  in  the  masses  such  as  has 
been  unknown  in  any  former  day. 

The  message  of  the  Great  Book  has  been  delivered 
to  them,  and  their  ear  is  quickened  to  receive  its 
tidings.  In  many  and  many  a  house  it  lies  no  longer 
on  the  shelf  "  a  dusty  Bible ; "  but  it  speaks  as  they 
never  heard  it  speak  before  ;  and  as  Nineveh  arose  of 
old  at  the  voice  of  the  prophet  Jonah,  and  turned  from 
its  evil  way,  so  it  is  certain  that  we  are  living  in  times 
when  to  the  working-classes  of  our  larger  city  there 
has  penetrated  a  conviction  that  "  there  is  a  Jesus," 
and  that  He  died  to  save  them  from  their  sins.  Soon 
we  shall  see  this  conviction  ascend  from  the  poor  man's 
hovel  to  the  palaces  of  our  merchant  princes  and  the 


128    THE  PEOPLE'S  WANTS,  AND  THETE  WELCOME. 

hearts  of  our  nobility.  The  Lord  is  calling  out  His 
teachers  for  all  classes  of  the  community,  high  and 
low,  rich  and  poor.  It  is  no  longer  a  day  of  priestly 
teaching  only.  Even  outcasts  are  sent  to  outcasts, 
women  to  women,  and  children  to  children.  We  are 
all  of  one  human  family.  Birth  and  death,  sickness 
and  grief,  have  bound  us  all  together  always,  whether 
we  would  or  not ;  and  now  THE  SAME  Book  shall  knit 
our  hearts  and  kindle  in  us  the  love  to  Jesus  which 
must  shew  itself  in  true  love  to  one  another. 

It  is  this  source  of  sympathy,  and  nothing  lower, 
which  will  make  the  sanitary  persuasions  of  the  rich 
acceptable  to  the  poor — which  will  overcome  their  dirt, 
their  prejudice,  their  ignorance,  and  their  idleness. 
When  the  Dagons  of  pride  and  selfishness,  among  the 
higher  classes,  fall  before  the  ark  of  the  Lord,  ''the 
poor  shall  have  the  gospel  preached  to  them,"  in  life- 
work  as  well  as  in  letter. 


CHAPTER  VI 

l0toii,  toton,  tojjer  boton. 


"  Lowly,  my  hands,  be  lowly, 

Christ's  poor  around  us  dwell. 
Stoop  down,  and  kindly  cherish 
The  flock  He  loves  so  well." 

"  There  are  dark  and  dangerous  places — swamps  and  pitfalls — in 
the  social  world,  which  need  bridging  over  to  afford  a  way  out  to 
the  miserable  dwellers  amidst  degradation  and  filth.  Blessings  on 
those  who  build  and  maintain  social  bridges  over  the  swamps  of 
great  towns ! " 


We  huve  gained  some  knowledge  worth  having  in  the 
day  when  we  have  read  for  ourselves  any  fresh  page  of 
human  life,  and  reflected  upon  it.  We  must  do  this 
before  we  can  understand  how  to  help  the  sorrowful 
and  aid  the  deserving.  The  relief  bestowed  by  first 
impulse  does  them  very  little  good,  but  every  method 
of  helping  them  eff'ectually  to  help  themselves,  is  worth 
all  the  study  and  prayer  bestowed  upon  it.  Such  fresh 
pages  of  human  life  open  before  every  lady  who  accepts 
the  charge  involved  in  superintending  a  Bible-woman, 
and  it  is  pleasant  to  watch  how  both  parties  seem  to 
find  their  training  college  in  each  day's  practice. 

The  habits  which  have  hitherto  led  to  success  in  our 
particular  kind  of  missionary  work,  have  been,  not  to 
inquire  or  advertise  for  helpers,  but  to  accejDt  all  that 
have  offered  themselves  in  either  class — unless  there 
has  been  some  reason  for  not  doing  so — and  a  wonderful 
clue  of  providential  connexion  has  often  been  developed 
in  the  right  and  fitting  co-workers  coming  to  light  at 
the  same  period.  After  the  primary  explanations,  we 
have  referred  Ladies  to  Ladies,  and  Bible-women  to  their 
fellow- agents,  to  learn  what  their  duties  are,  and  there- 
by to  correct  as  much  as  possible  their  own  first  mis- 
takes.    This  is  helping  the  workers  to  help  themselves. 


1 S2  DOWN,  DOWN,  DEEPER  DOWN. 

The  second  month's  experience  corrects  the  shortcom- 
ings of  the  first ;  and  we  have  never  attempted  to  dic- 
tate, that  plans  which  suit  one  district  must  infallibly 
serve  in  another.  A  remarkable  unity  of  method,  how- 
ever, has  survived  the  dangers  of  this  elasticity  of  rule, 
and  the  social  form  of  tea-meeting  which  our  conferences 
take,  has  smoothed  down  many  a  discussion  on  detail, 
which  might  have  vexatiously  arisen  in  a  committee. 

As  many  "  District  Visitors  "  have  become  Superin- 
tendents of  Bible-women,  we  have  had  the  frequent 
opportunity  of  hearing  them  compare  their  former  with 
their  present  reception  by  the  poor. 

"  I  determined,"  says  a  lady,  "  to  try  the  experiment 
of  visiting  one  day  in  the  week  with  my  Bible- woman  ; 
and  asking  guidance  and  wisdom  from  above,  we  started 
together.  She  took  me  at  once  into  the  very  worst 
part  of  the  parish.  I  have  been  a  District  Visitor  in 
Bloomsbury  these  ten  years,  but  I  never  saw  anything 
like  this ;  and  two  hours'  work  made  me  so  sick,  I 
thought  I  never  should  forget  the  miseries  and  the 
smells. 

"  We  groped  our  way  in  dark  houses,  up  stairs  with- 
out any  banisters,  and  with  great  holes  in  them,  requir- 
ing careful  steps,  and  we  entered  rooms  which  looked 
as  though  they  had  never  been  scoured  since  they  were 
built.  Beds  seemed  wholly  unknown  !  Here  and  there 
w^e  found  a  bedstead  with  some  filthy  rags  upon  it,  but 
oftentimes  it  was  a  small  litter  of  straw  with  a  black 
cloth  thrown  over  it.  In  almost  every  room  we  heard 
the  same  story — 'No  work,  and  no  food!"* 


DOWN,  DOWN,  DEEPEE  DOWN.  133 

So  the  lady  goes  deeper  down,  and  further  into,  tlie 
real  state  of  her  district,  fearing  nothing  with  the 
Bible-woman  by  her  side.  She  witnesses  want  and 
starvation — such  as  make  her  shrink  afterwards  from 
the  sight  of  her  own  dinner — she  goes  home  to  reflect 
how  best  to  mend  this  state  of  things. 

Presently  she  says,  — "  I  have  learned  to  feel  the 
great  value  of  the  INIission-room,  where  I  can  sit  and 
talk  to  the  women  as  I  never  could  have  done  in  these 
sad  homes.  I  have  j^owerful  convictions  that  sin  and 
drunkenness  have  chiefly  produced  what  I  have  seen, 
so  that  I  dare  not  indulge  the  desire  I  feel  to  relieve, 
which  creates  jealousy,  as  they  think  the  Bible-woman 
shews  undue  preference  in  the  cases  to  which  she  takes 
me." 

Then  comes  the  more  intimate  sympathy, — "The  full 
interest  of  the  mothers'  meetings  is  felt  only  by  the 
Bible-woman  and  her  Lady  Superintendent,  who  know 
the  history  of  each  individual."  Then  the  true  kind  of 
help  is  called  forth — help  spiritual,  in  the  Bible  read- 
ings, when  the  people  begin  to  listen  with  eyes  and 
mouth  and  ears,  their  hearts  being  prepared  of  the 
Lord — help  temporal,  too,  as  it  can  be  afforded  to  the 
special  claims  of  each  case.  The  tools  or  coat  are 
taken  out  of  pawn — the  girl  clothed,  and  sent  to  ser- 
vice— the  basket  of  fruit  or  flowers  is  stocked — the 
sick  child  restored  by  nourishment — the  mother's  heart 
is  touched,  and  she  is  helped  on  in  the  right  way — the 
father  is  assisted  to  find  work,  and  a  sympathy  is  pre- 
sently  felt  by  the  people,  that  has  a  very  different 


134  DOWN,  DOWN,  DEEPER  DOWN. 

effect  upon  tliem  to  the  uncliscerning  relief  which  only 
leaves  a  shilling  or  a  ticket  at  so  many  doors — the  lady 
being:  afraid  to  a:o  in — and  which  a  writer  in  the  Times 
has  justly  compared  to  the  operation  of  'dibbling 
beans/  " 

Two  or  three  streets  soon  afford  a  world  of  occupation 
to  the  Lady's  thoughts;  and  by  her  o^vn  help  to  the 
Bible-woman,  and  that  of  the  personal  friends  she  en- 
lists in  the  cause,  some  amendments  take  place  every 
week,  and  these  mount  up  in  a  year. 

"  Two  thino's  ever  fill  the  mind  with  amazement  in  this 

o 

work, — first,  the  patient  endurance  of  the  poor ;  then, 
that  so  very  few  of  the  upper  classes  take  any  active 
personal  interest  in  them.  Do  the  inhabitants  of  the 
squares  not  know  of,  or  not  care  for,  the  sufferings 
around  them  ?  If  they  knew,  would  they  not  strive  to 
help  these  people,  spiritually  and  temporally?  To  the 
few  labourers  the  work  is  utterly  overwhelming ;  and 
when  those  are  worn  out  both  in  mind  and  body,  they 
yet  feel  that  not  one-hundredth  part  of  the  misery  is 
reached  or  assisted  after  all." 

Another  District  Visitor  says, — "  Every  day  presents 
to  me  a  fresh  and  interesting  view  of  the  Bible  and 
Domestic  Mission ;  and  its  work,  unlike  any  other,  is 
no  dull  daily  routine,  but  an  ever-varying  one.  I  am 
often  struck  at  the  reception  I  meet  with  as  the  Super- 
intendent of  the  Bible-woman,  in  contrast  to  that  I 
found  in  my  capacity  of  District  Visitor.  In  the 
latter  character,  the  woman  visited  often  felt  it  neces- 
sary to  utter  a  few  religious  sentences,  as  she  knew  it 


DOWN,  DOWN,  DEEPEE  DOWN.  135 

was  my  first  errand  to  communicate  spiritual  instruc- 
tion ;  but  I  saw  that  the  chief  end  of  my  visit,  in  her 
eyes,  was  the  ticket  I  might  be  induced  to  leave  with 
her  for  bread  or  coals ;  which,  as  soon  as  I  was  gone, 
she  would  probably  change  away  for  gin.  I  now  find 
I  did  not  see  her  as  she  tuas — only  as  she  wished  me 
to  think  her/' 

"  But  how  differently  is  the  same  Lady  received  after 
they  feel  she  really  knows  them  through  the  Bible- 
woman,  who  sees  them  at  all  hours  !  Wlien  they  meet 
her  at  the  mission-room,  they  are  no  longer  tempted  to 
deceive  her.  They  see  she  does  not  expect  to  find 
them  in  general  a  company  of  suffering  saints,  but  of 
sinners  such  as  Jesus  came  to  save  ;  and  such  is  the 
power  of  that  Saviour's  love,  that  when  this  chord  is 
touched,  I  doubt  if  there  are  any  of  our  poor  guests 
who  do  not  for  the  time  forget  the  temporal  in  the 
spiritual." 

"  We  have  to  learn,  like  our  Master,  to  hate  the  sin, 
and  love  the  sinner.  As  a  District  Visitor,  I  am  con- 
vinced that  my  calls  often  died  off  into  an  almost  use- 
less gossip  about  temporal  affairs,  while  the  dirty, 
careless,  wicked  women  were  neglected,  to  listen  to  the 
one  who  met  my  inquiries  with  the  fittest  account  of 
her  children  at  school,  her  endeavours  to  do  her  best 
&c. 

*'  I  now  think  it  is  better  to  begin  with  the  outcasts  ; 
and  in  this  new  mission  I  have  found  a  heartier  and 
truer  welcome  from  these,  than  I  ever  felt  I  had  from 
my  former  list  of  mere  church-goers.   To  the  lost  I  can  go 


136  DOWN,  DOWN,  DEEPER  DOWN. 

and  freely  speak  of  salvation,  (the  others  were  not  sure 
they  needed  any,)  and  then  a  holy  bond  of  fellowship 
springs  up  between  us.  The  love  of  Jesus  rescues 
the  degraded,  and  encourages  the  weak — His  sympathy 
meets  their  sufferings  and  mine — His  love  has  been 
shewn  to  them  and  to  me.  It  is  no  longer  necessary  to 
bribe  them  to  hear.  They  see  in  the  Bible-woman  a 
missing  link  that  draws  them  to  the  Lady,  and  they 
gladly  invite  me  into  their  houses,  really  desiring  that 
I  should  give  them  to  drink  of  the  water  that  shall 
spring  up  in  them  to  everlasting  life." 

When  I  visit  a  distant  mission,  they  will  even  en- 
treat me  to  partake  of  their  scanty  fare.  Before,  they 
only  jDoured  forth  their  hundred  wants.  Now,  instead 
of  these,  I  often  hear,  "  Ah,  ma'am,  that  was  a  pleasant 
meeting  in  our  room  the  other  night.  It  is  true  that 
with  the  Lord  Jesus  we  shall  not  want  any  good  tiling. 
/  am  seeking  Him,  and  I  feel  all  the  happier — and 
though  I  want  many  things  yet,  never  mind — there's 
nothing  I  want  so  much  as  the  Lord  ;  and  He  does  pro- 
mise He  will  come  to  them  that  seek  Him." 

"  Now,"  continues  this  visitor,  "  while  I  am  watering 
others,  I  am  watered  myself.  It  is  not  my  own  work. 
I  enter  the  houses  in  the  love  and  power  of  Jesus,  and 
that  alone  makes  me  welcome.  I  glory  in  daily 
proofs  of  what  great  things  the  Word  of  God  can  do. 
Day  by  day,  I  rejoice  more  and  more  to  add  to  the 
work  of  a  District  Visitor,  the  experience  I  have  gained 
in  the  working  of  the  Bible  and  Domestic  Female 
Mission." 


DOWN,  DOWN,  DEEPER  DOWN.  137 

Our  corresj^ondent  is  energetic.  We  hope  her  re- 
marks will  not  hurt  the  minds  of  any  earnest,  loving 
District  Visitors  ;  but  they  must  remember  it  is  native 
evidence.  She  has  found  her  own  soul  watered,  as  she 
delivered  the  Lord's  message,  and  she  is  only  one  of 
many  ladies  who  have  thus  received  grace  for  their 
work,  in  their  work. 

But  it  is  not  merely  the  Lady  Superintendent  who 
goes  down,  down,  dee23er  down  among  the  strata 
of  this  home-mission  field,  and  who  is  no  more 
the  useless  ''  dilettante "  visitor,  as  Miss  Nightingale 
calls  her,  in  the  poor  man's  house ;  every  heart  that 
has  been  won  for  God,  either  by  her  or  by  the  Bible- 
woman,  has  its  own  circle  of  living  influence  in  the 
foul  and  stagnant  waters  of  these  moral  depths 
of  society.  Of  such  moral  depths,  we  can  give  no 
more  graphic  picture  than  is  to  be  found  in  a  Dis- 
trict, about  four  or  five  miles  east  of  the  Post-office, 
which  has  recently  been  reclaimed  from  the  Essex 
marshes.  "  The  enormous  Victoria  Docks  have  been  ex- 
cavated, and  chemical  works  for  the  production  of 
vitriol,  and  creosote  works  for  preserving  timber,  have 
been  constructed  here.  Enterprise  has  done  battle  with 
the  marsh,  and  divided  the  dreary  region  into  water  for 
docks  and  dry  land  for  warehouses  ;  so  that  what  a  few 
years  ago  was  a  malarious  grazing  ground  has  been 
transformed,  as  if  by  enchantment,  into  a  centre  af 
vast  commercial  interest ;  and  a  town  more  resembling 
the  worst  spots  in  Holland  than  a  suburb  of  London, 
has  been  rapidly  grouped  around  such  centre. 


138  DOWN,  DOWN,  DEEPER  DOWN. 

"  But  the  houses  of  the  work-people  have  been  built 
in  a  '  dismal  swamp ; '  and  only  two  years  ago  many 
of  them  appeared  to  rise  out  of  islets  of  liquid  filth — a 
state  of  things  in  which  a  sensible  system  of  drainage 
is  now  aiming  to  effect  an  alteration.  Meanwhile, 
poverty  and  starvation  have  combined  with  the  old 
malaria  to  multiply  cases  of  ague  and  fever,  and  all  but 
the  jDOorest  fly  the  district  as  residents,  leaving  still, 
from  Canning  Town  to  North  Woolwich,  a  population 
of  from  ten  to  twelve  thousand  people. 

"  Every  gust  of  prosperity  in  commerce  swells  their 
number,  and  every  succeeding  stagnation  overwhelms 
them  with  destitution.  The  cry  for  food  and  fire  in 
the  seasons  of  slack  work  is  frightful.  There  are  no 
gentry  living  among  these  poor,  and  their  main  refuge 
has  been  the  Poor  Law  Union.  The  relieving  officer 
is  attentive  and  kind  in  cases  of  sickness,  but  he  has 
no  help  for  the  able-bodied ;  and  what  can  he  do 
among  so  many?  Many  of  the  poor  have  died  here 
from  sheer  want,  under  the  very  shadow  of  the  palaces 
of  London." 

Such  is  the  description  given  two  years  ago  by  an 
earnest  working  clergyman,  the  Eev.  H.  Douglas,  who 
has  been  appointed  to  the  spiritual  charge  of  these 
"  Londoners  over  the  Border,"  funds  having  been  raised 
by  the  energy  and  benevolence  of  one  or  two  gentle- 
men in  the  vicinity,  to  build  a  temj)orary  iron  church, 
and  maintain  a  resident  pastor. 

It  appears  that  Mr  Douglas  wrote  on  the  Christmas- 
eve  of  1859,  a  letter  to  the  Times,  which,  supported  by 


DOWN,  DOWN,  DEEPEE  DOWN.  139 

one  of  its  powerful  leading  articles,  at  an  hour  when 
men's  hearts  were  open,  brought  him  a  large  sum  in  aid 
of  his  purposes  of  parochial  benevolence.  A  week  or 
two  jDreviously  to  writing  this  letter,  he  had  applied  to 
us  for  a  Bible-woman  for  the  Victoria  Docks  district ; 
and  it  has  been  proved  that  such  an  agency  was  indeed 
necessary  to  assist  him  to  discern  the  true  character  of 
those  who  sought  his  help.  It  is  woman's  work  that 
is  imperatively  called  for,  with  the  degraded  women 
and  girls  of  neighbourhoods  like  these,  but  the  non- 
residence  of  LADIES  in  such  spots  throws  a  great  diffi- 
culty in  the  way  of  superintendence. 

God  has  made  willing,  however,  the  heart  of  a  lady, 
already  warmly  engaged  in  our  mission  work  in  an 
aristocratic  district,  to  go  one  day  in  the  week,  and 
watch  also  over  the  two  Bible- women  who  are  labour- 
ing in  this  distant  spot.  She  is  beginning  to  see  much 
fruit  from  this  missionary  effort,  and  a  sketch  from  her 
pen  will  not  disj)lease  our  readers. 

"  I  feel  it  difficult,"  she  says,  '■  to  describe  this  dis- 
trict, it  is  so  dissimilar  to  every  other  in  London — a 
colony  sprung  one  can  hardly  tell  whence,  and  settled 
down  near  the  scene  of  its  labour — the  scattered  houses 
seem  to  have  no  reference  to  either  ]3athway  or  road, 
and  the  place  is  neither  town  nor  village — having  all 
the  wants  of  the  former,  without  the  advantages  of 
the  latter. 

"  One  small  iron  church  is  all  that  stands  to  represent 
the  House  of  God  among  them.  Rough,  low  labourers 
from   the   dock-yards   are  surrounded   by  women  of 


140  DOWN,  DOWN,  DEEPER  DOWN. 

degraded  character,  and  with  no  better  class  to  raise 
them,  it  is  not  wonderful  that  they  have  fallen  very 
low,  even  in  the  eyes  of  men.  But  how  truly  has  God's 
power  been  shewn  here  in  the  last  few  months !  We 
have  the  large  number  of  fifty  women  now  present  at 
our  mothers'  meetings,  few  of  whom  have  hitherto 
entered  the  church  doors. 

"  Shyly  coming  in  at  first,  inquiring  of  their  neigh- 
bours if  any  questions  would  be  asked,  and  finding 
that  nothing  is  talked  of  but  the  love  of  Jesus  to  the 
outcasts  and  sinners, — then  assembling  more  boldly 
and  bringing  their  friends  with  them, — this  has  been 
the  history  of  our  mothers'  meetings,  and  they  yield 
more  encouragement  every  week. 

"  One  woman,  Mrs  H ,  has  for  the  last  ten  years 

suff'ered  alike  from  destitution  and  from  the  brute  force 
displayed  towards  her  by  her  husband ;  but  now,  by 
the  aid  of  a  loan,  which  she  has  faithfully  returned,  she 
is  trying  to  support  herself  and  children.  She  has  long 
borne  her  trouble  alone,  but  she  comes  to  the  Mission- 
room  and  tells  us  her  grief,  saying,  '  Ah,  ma'am,  I  have 
felt  God  Almighty  much  nearer  to  me  ever  since  I 
joined  the  mission.'  She  is  endeavouring  to  save  a 
small  sum  in  our  hands,  to  repay  a  neighbour's  loan, 
that  she  may  feel  '  she  is  an  honest  woman.' 

"Another  woman  went  home  one  night  with  her  heart 
full  of  a  few  words  which  had  been  spoken  about  God 
hearing  prayer.  Her  husband  was  very  angry  with 
her  for  attending  the  meeting ;  he  declared  he  would 
go  out  and  get  drunk,  and  left  the  house  accordingly. 


DOWN,  DOWN,  DEEPER  DOWN.  141 

How  touching  was  the  tale  as  she  told  it ! — '  I  felt  so 
bad,  my  heart  sunk  within  me,  and  then  all  in  a 
moment  I  thought  of  God  answering  jDrayer;  so  I 
prayed  Him  to  bring  home  my  husband  sober,  and  I 
prayed  so  earnestly,  that  I  thought  He  would  hear. 
Seven  o'clock  came — no  husband ;  eight — nine — ten 
o'clock,  and  still  I  prayed,  and  then  heard  his  hand 
upon  the  door.  He  Avalked  in  quite  sober,  and  he  has 
certainly  been  better  tempered  ever  since.' 

"  I  can  give  no  idea  of  the  amount  of  poverty  and 
wretchedness  of  this  locality ;  no  hospitals  near,  no 
house  of  relief  except  the  clergyman's.  None  can  walk 
through  the  unformed  muddy  streets  without  meeting 
many  unfortunates  of  the  lowest  class — not  hiding  from 
day,  but  openly  standing  in  groups  on  the  path.  (I 
often  meet  such.)  These  too  sadly  declare  the  habits 
of  the  place. 

The  dwellings  are  like  the  people.  I  entered  a  house 
lately,  and  found  a  large  hole  in  the  flooring,  with  a 
board  carelessly  thro^vn  across  it,  as  the  only  preventive 
to  five  small  children  falling  through  to  the  basement. 
All  their  clothing  consisted  of  thin,  ragged,  dirty  frocks, 
poor,  half-starved,  wretched  little  objects,  and  the  look 
of  hopeless  ignorance,  the  filthy  walls,  the  lack  of  fur- 
niture or  comfort,  told  me  that  we  had  indeed  reached 
the  outcasts ;  for  the  two  women  from  this  house  had 
begun  to  attend  our  meeting,  and  the  first  sign  of  im- 
provement is,  that  they  make  an  efibrt  to  render  them- 
selves tidier  when  they  come  to  us.  They  have  not 
been  used  to  wear  a  bonnet,  and  their  appearance  on 


142  DOWN,  DOWN,  DEEPER  DOWN. 

our  evening  in  this  article  of  dress  is  a  step  gained  to- 
wards the  apparel  of  a  modest  woman. 

It  is  a  disrespect  to  the  decencies  of  life  that  has 
lowered  so  many  in  their  own  eyes ;  but  no  sooner  do 
they  begin  to  value  the  mission,  and  to  listen  to  the 
AVord  read  in  their  hearing,  than  a  change  takes  place. 
One  of  them  told  me,  that,  when  she  could  not  come 
herself  on  Tuesday,  she  thanked  God,  and  felt  happy 
that  day,  as  she  knew  there  ^vas  a  meeting,  and  that 
some  souls  would  be  cared  for  there. 

In  an  after  record  it  is  stated  : — 

"  Mrs  N ,  one  of  the  two  reprobate  women  whom 

I  mentioned  as  living  in  that  miserable  house,  conti- 
nues to  attend  the  Mission-room.  At  the  women's 
little  prayer  meeting,  too,  she  prays  for  herself,  that  she 
may  be  able  to  train  up  her  children  in  the  knowledge 
of  the  Lord.  Last  week  she  told  me  that  she  wakes 
many  times  in  the  night,  and  feels  she  must  get  up 
;md  pray  for  her  own  soul.  She  prays  for  others  around 
her,  and  although  at  present  in  the  depths  of  trouble 
and  distress,  she  said,  '  I  'm  happier  now  than  ever  I 
was  before.' 

"  '  If  the  mission  never  did  anything  else,  it  has 
altered  this  and  that  woman,'  is  declared  by  the  trades- 
people of  the  neighbourhood.  Some  of  these  women 
have  been  known  in  their  locality  as  those  who  would 
fight  £i,ny  man  ;  yet  since  they  first  came  to  the  mothers' 
class,  in  August  1860,  they  have  seldom  been  found 
missing  there,  but  sit  quiet  and  subdued  in  demeanour, 
one  of  them  saying,  perhaps,  '  No,  do  not  give  me  any 


DOWN,  DOWN,  DEEPER  DOWN.  J  43 

work  to-night.  I  want  to  listen  to  all  that  is  read  and 
said.*  These  are  they  who  were  never  known  to  cross 
the  threshold  of  church  or  chapel,  but  now  they  often 
accompany  the  Bible- wo  man  to  the  Sunday-afternoon 
service. 

"  We  gave  a  tea-meeting,  for  the  first  time  here,  a  few 
days  since  ;  and  thirty-three  women  came.  It  was  the 
first  tea  they  had  willingly  attended.  The  love  and 
sympathy  of  Christ  was  again  the  subject ;  and  it  is 
by  this  theme  that  the  people's  hearts  will  be  gained, 
and  by  this  alone. 

''  One  of  the  guests  told  me  she  had  never  been  at 
such  a  gathering  before,  and  '  Oh,  how  she  had  enjoyed 
it ! '      All  their  faces  were  pleasant  to  look  upon,  but 

especially  that   of  Mrs  Z ,  more  clean  and  tidy 

than  I  had  ever  seen  her,  sitting  with  a  neighbour's 
infant  asleep  upon  her  lap.  She  is  a  great  rough 
woman,  and  has  been  more  terrible  to  meet  Avith  than 
most  men  in  the  district ;  now  I  seldom  hear  of  her  as 
being  intoxicated,  and  she  has  really  become  kind  and 
gentle.  She,  too,  said  this  had  been  the  happiest 
evening  she  had  ever  spent,  and  she  seemed  to  rejoice 
to  hear  the  name  of  Jesus. 

"  I  cannot  tell  who  may  come  to  us  next,  for  it  is 
actually  true,  that  a  woman  who  with  her  husband 
keeps  a  house  of  evil  reputation,  is  anxious  to  join  us, 
and  asked  to  be  allowed  to  bring  some  of  her  unhappy 
inmates  with  her. 

"  We  gave  permission  to  several  of  the  unfortunates 
to  seek  our  aid  if  they  ^eve  really  desirous  to  forsake 


144  DOWN,  DOWN,  DEEPER  DOWN. 

their  sin.     B.  M has  done  so,  and  wonderful  is 

the  change  in  that  woman's  face— her  gaudy  finery  is 
exchanged  for  clean  and  neat  apparel,  and  when  the 
Bible-woman  invited  her  to  our  meeting,  how  earnestly 
she  thanked  God  for  the  privilege  of  coming.  'I 
should  have  liked  to  attend  before/  she  said,  'only 
when  I  came  away,  it  was  like  passing  from  heaven 
into  hell/ 

"  I  am  often  informed  in  confidence  by  one  and 
another  that  they  are  '  surprised  at  seeing  Mrs  So  and 
So  here,'  yet  they  often  promote  each  other's  attend- 
ance.    Last  Tuesday,  Mrs  L told  me  she  did  not 

think  she  should  have  been  able  to  come,  for  one 
daughter  had  borrowed  her  gown  and  another  her 
shawl.  '  But  when  I  said  I  could  not  go,  my  neigh- 
bour said,  "  Oh,  do  go,  Mrs  L ,  1 11  lend  you  my 

shawl,"  and  so  I  covered  my  old  dress  with  it  and 
came ;  it  was  kind  of  her,  warn't  it,  ma'am.  You  see 
she  so  wished  me  to  come.' " 

Yes  !  the  kindness  of  the  poor  to  one  another  often 
sets  lis  an  example.  They  are  so  constantly  in  the 
school  of  suffering  and  privation,  that  they  know  how 
to  sympathise ;  and  then  if  they  become  His  servants 
who  Himself  "  had  not  where  to  lay  His  head,"  they 
have  had  good  training  for  unselfishness,  and  they  do 
many  noble  deeds  in  dark  and  unknown  corners  of  the 
earth  unseen  of  men. 

The  valued  friend  who  weekly  superintends  this  dis- 
trict, coming,  as  we  hinted,  from  a  distance,  because  no 


DOWN,  DOWN,  DEEPER  DOWN.  145 

lady  could  be  found  in  the  district  to  do  it,  was  lier 
self  comforted,    and  comforts  us  with  the  following 
touching  incident : — 

''  I  left  the  meeting  early,"  she  says,  "'  and  as  I  was 
crossing  the  rail  to  the  station,  I  saw  a  woman  I  had 
met  in  the  Mission-room,  running  along  with  a  bundle 
in  her  hand.  I  called  to  her,  as  I  wished  to  know  her 
name  and  something  concerning  her. 

"  She  told  me  that  her  health  was  bad,  and  that  she 
had  heart-complaint.  '  I  have  had,  ma'am,'  said  she, 
•a  great  deal  of  trouble.  Though  I  never  had  any 
children,  I  have  struggled  with  poverty,  and  have  a 
sick  husband  to  care  for.  Yet  I  do  know  what  it  is  to 
have  peace,  with  all  my  sorrows.  I  live  a  good  distance 
from  your  Mission-room,  but  I  heard  there  Avas  a  meet- 
ing, and  I  did  so  enjoy  the  prayer.  I  teach  my  little 
ones  to  pray.' 

"  '  Your  little  ones  ? '  I  said. 

"  '  Yes,  ma'am ;  I  gather  some  little  ones  together, 
and  teach  them  reading,  writing,  and  Scripture  lessons 
three  times  a  week  in  the  evening.  I  don't  get  any- 
thing for  it,  their  parents  are  so  very  poor.  I  wanted 
to  employ  my  talent.  I  had  a  talent,  for  I  could  read 
and  write,  and  I  had  also  some  books  in  my  posses- 
sion. I  have  taught  these  children  tln^e  years — and 
oh,  ma'am,'  (she  added,  with  such  delight  in  her  pallid 
face,)  '  I  gave  them  a  treat  last  Christmas  ;  only  tea, 
you  know,  with  plain  bread  and  butter,  and  a  few 
sweets  afterwards.     There  were  twenty-three  of  them, 

K 


146  DOWN,  DOWN,  DEEPER  DOWN. 

and  how  they  did  enjoy  it !  I  buy  a  packet  of  booka 
at  5^d.  sometimes  from  London,  and  give  them  now 
and  then  as  a  reward/ 

"  I  told  her  she  would  find  a  reward  herself  here- 
after for  such  work  as  this  ;  and  she  replied,  *  Yes,  I 
know  that,  but  I  really  think  I  have  a  reward  even  now. 
My  husband,  ma'am,  is  not  exactly  what  I  could  wish, 
but  he 's  mine,  and  belongs  to  me,  so  I  ought  not  to 
speak  against  him.  He  was  ill  in  bed  one  day  when  I 
was  obliged  to  be  away  at  my  work,  and  one  of  the 
children  came  in — she  was  about  nine  years  old — "It's 
no  use  your  coming  in,  my  dear,"  said  my  husband, 

"  Mrs  S is  not  at  home/'     "  But  perhaps,"  said 

the  child,  "  I  may  wait/'     "  Certainly — sit  down." 

"  '  Well,  ma'am,  after  a  bit  she  says,  "  Mr  S , 

suppose  we  pray  as  when  Mrs  S is  here."     "  Very 

well,"  said  my  husband  ;  "  do  so/' 

'' '  So  she  knelt  down  by  the  bedside  and  prayed,  and 
in  the  midst  of  her  prayer  she  said,  "  0  Lord,  send  thy 

fire  into  Mr  S 's  heart,  and  make  him  just  what 

Mrs  S would  wish  him  to  be."     It  had  such  an 

effect  on  my  husband,  ma'am,  the  next  day  he  signed 
the  pledge.     Now,  is  not  that  a  reward  ? ' 

"The  good  woman  went  on  to  tell  me  that  she 
had  derived  the  good  she  had  thus  scattered  among 
those  little  ones  from  the  instruction  and  care  of  two 
young  ladies,  daughters  of  a  clergyman,  who  took  her 
a,s  an  ignorant  girl  into  their  service.  Here  was  seed 
sown,  to  be  sown  again  in  waste  places  ;  for  this  woman 
lives  at  the  extreme  point  of  the  parish,  has  no  district 


DOWN,  DOWN,  DEEPER  DOWN.  147 

visitor,  no  Scripture  reader,  no  earthly  help,  and  her 
work  for  the  Lord  is  accomplished  amid  poverty  and 
trial — for  love's  sake.  She  supports  a  sick  brother 
too,  younger  than  herself,  by  extra  labour,  that  he  may 
not  be  a  burden  to  her  husband.  We  shall  of  course 
gladly  supply  her  with  books  for  the  children." 

Gradually  has  the  way  been  won  by  the  two  patient 
Bible-women  in  this  district.  At  first  they  found  that 
very  few  of  the  people  would  do  more  than  just  open 
their  doors,  give  an  answer  that  no  Bibles  were  wanted, 
and  resist  all  further  intercourse  ;  but  after  a  few  weeks, 
their  feminine  faculty  of  getting  a  little  pleasant  con- 
versation by  watching  023portunities,  has,  as  one  of  them 
says,  thrown  the  doors  of  the  houses  wide  open,  and 
now  they  may  hope  that  the  doors  of  the  heart  will  not 
be  shut  upon  their  blessed  Saviour,  of  whom  they  come 
to  speak. 

The  personal  visitation  of  house  by  house  in  this 
marsh  district,  presently  makes  it  necessary  to  invite 
the  poor  people  to  a  Mission-room,  but  not  far  off. 
The  Mission-room  must  come  to  the  marsh,  if  the 
souls  are  to  be  sought.  Sophia's  steady  seeking  first 
touches  the  heart  of  a  dirty  girl  of  twelve  years  old,  to 
whom  she  talked  a  long  while  one  day  in  a  filthy  house, 
and  who,  after  her  first  visit,  began  to  wash  her 
brothers'  faces,  though,  as  the  Bible-woman  herself  owns, 
to  comb  their  wild  hair  seemed  an  impossibility. 

But  the  next  week  comes,  and  the  dirty  children  are 
found  still  cleaner,  and  the  passage  swept,  and  Polly  is 
so  pleased  with  the  praise  bestowed  that  she  is  chatty, 


148  DOWN,  DOWN,  DEEPER  DOWN. 

tells  the  names  of  all  her  brothers  and  sisters,  and  says 
mother  wants  to  know  about  the  clothing  club.  From 
sweeping,  the  week  after  she  proceeds  to  scrubbing,  and 
for  the  first  time  the  house  becomes  a  fit  home  for  hu- 
man beings.  "Father  and  mother,"  she  says,  "now  pro- 
mise to  be  teetotallers."  Take  heart  and  courage,  good 
"  Sophia,"  who  knows  what  this  little  one  will  teach 
some  day  to  those  around  her.  "  Slowly,  very  slowly," 
your  journal  says  your  work  goes  on ;  but  it  is  true 
work,  and  among  the  right  class.  You  have  gathered 
at  last  out  of  that  moral  desert  forty-six  women  to 
your  mothers'  meeting.  You  have  dropped  the  seed 
of  thoughtfulness  into  many  a  heart  living  on  the 
wages  of  sin,  and  you  and  your  Superintendent  are  re- 
joicing over  saved  souls  that  shall  be  one  day  gems  in 
the  crowns  you  will  receive  from  your  Saviour,  and 
which  both  of  you  will  cast  at  His  footstool,  saying, 
"  Not  unto  us,  not  unto  us,  but  to  Thy  name  be  all  the 
glory."  It  is  that  name,  only  that  name,  that  is  win- 
ning victories  over  death  and  sin  in  these  dirty  hovels, 
and  that  is  cleansing  poor  sinners  from  all  filthiness  of 
the  flesh  and  of  the  spirit. 

The  Lady  of  this  Mission  adds  : — 

"  I  am  convinced  that  our  Mission  work  does  not 
prosper,  unless  our  Bible- women  are  aiming  at  a  lower 
and  wilder  class  of  people  than  those  reached  by  the 
usual  visitors.  It  is  not  to  the  so-called  respectable 
women  that  we  wish  to  address  ourselves,  or  to  those 
who  we  know  are  reached  by  others.  The  Bible- 
woman's  path  is  into  the  deep,  dark  alleys,  down  into 


DOWN,  DOWN,  DEEPER  DOWN.  149 

close  kitchens,  and  up  into  garrets,  where  nothing  but 
the  love  for  winning  souls  would  penetrate.  It  is  from 
these  abodes  of  wretchedness  that  the  people  will  come 
who  really  value  the  light,  the  warmth,  and  the  airiness 
of  the  Mission-room,  and  who  delight  to  listen  to  the 
simple  teaching  there.  There  will  be  space  for  many 
years  in  London  for  those  who  will  go  down,  down, 
deeper  down!" 

An  afternoon  visit  to  "  Sophia's  "  Mission  is  thus 
outlined  by  a  friend  who  recently  accompanied  the 
Superintendent : — 

"From  two  lines  stretched  across  the  room  above 
our  heads  there  hung  various  articles  of  ready-made 
clothing,  prepared  for  sale,  as  were  also  the  print  and 
calico,  which  lay  upon  side  shelves.  The  bright  and 
gentle  looks  of  the  two  Bible- women  told  that  in  them 
the  poor  had  loving  and  sympathising  friends.  I  was 
not,  however,  long  left  to  contemplate  empty  forms  and 
chairs,  or  to  read  the  texts  which  adorned  the  walls, 
for  soon  the  mothers  began  to  arrive.  First  there  came 
an  aged  woman,  and  then  a  young  one,  eager  to  shew 
her  new  baby  to  her  friend  The  Lady,  and  then  one 
of  the  street  girls,  who  had,  however,  put  on  a  bonnet, 

because  it  was  understood  Miss did  not  like  bare 

heads,'  and  to  please  her,  too,  the  shoulders  and  necks 
of  all  were  covered  with  shawls  or  mantles. 

"The  girls  were  followed  by  a  woman  in  a  clean 
print  dress,  a  striking  contrast,  as  I  was  told,  to  the 
dirty  finery  in  which  she  used  to  appear ;  and  then 
crowded  in  mothers  and  babies,  and  every  face  seeming 


150  DOWN,  DOWN,  DEEPEE  DOWN. 

to  brighten  as  kindly  inquiries  were  exchanged  with 
the  kdy.  Each,  as  she  entered,  quietly  took  her  seat, 
only  rising  when  her  turn  came  to  go  forward  with  her 
pence,  or  to  receive  from  the  Bible-woman  the  work 
which  occupies  her  during  the  meeting.  Mothers  tried 
to  still  their  babies,  and  soon  the  little  new  comer  lay  fast 
asleep  in  the  pretty  cradle  prepared  for  the  sleepers. 

"  In  rej)ly  to  a  question  from  me,  my  neighbour  told 
me  how  their  numbers  had  increased.  '  Wh}^,  ma'am, 
this  room  won't  hold  us  all  now,  and  I  remember  when 

I  and  Mrs  B were  all  our  lady  had,  and  we  have 

come  regular  ever  since.'  This  woman  seemed  deeply 
affected  during;  the  meetinsj,  and  was  one  of  those  who 
afterwards  remained  to  ask  about  getting  married. 

"  Before  three  o'clock  the  room  was  fidl,  and  the 
meeting  having  been  opened  with  singing  and  prayer, 
the  Superintendent  read  a  few  verses  in  John  xiv., 
followed  by  remarks  on  loving  Jesus ;  His  love  to 
sinners,  and  what  the  constraining  power  of  tliat  love 
should  be,  leading  us  to  keep  His  word,  and  then  the 
promise  that  He  would  manifest  Himself  to,  and  abide 
with  those  who  did  so  follow  Him.  The  love  and 
power  of  Christ  over  Mary  Magdalene  was  the  absorb- 
ing subject  of  the  Bible  lesson. 

"  There  was  earnest  and  almost  breathless  attention  ; 
most  were  too  anxious  to  hear,  to  think  of  their  work ; 
and  even  among  the  workers  it  was  easy  to  see  that  the 
fingers  were  busy  often,  but  as  an  excuse  to  conceal 
emotion.  Others  fairly  cried,  and  indeed  I  felt  that 
God  was  in  our  midst. 


DOWN,  DOWN,  DEEPER  DOWN.  151 

"  Another  hymn  and  prayer  before  we  separated,  and 
then  many  a  congregation  might  have  learnt  a  lesson 
of  reverent  retiring  from  these  poor  women.  Some 
few  remained ;  one  to  say,  '  It  is  no  use  trying  any 
longer  to  go  on  so.  I  must  speak  to  James  and  see  to 
get  married ; '  and  so  it  is  with  many  more,  they  feel 
they  must  confess  the  suspected  but  hitherto  hidden 
sin ;  and  then  another  told  '  how  she  who  had  so  long 
had  one  who  was  not  her  husband  was  to  be  joined 
with  him  in  holy  union,  please  God,  come  Monday ; ' 
and  a  third  was  rejoicing  in  her  newly-acquired  wed- 
ding-ring. I  could  not  but  feel  that  God's  Word  had 
been  brought  home  to  many  in  that  little  room,  and 
that  their  hearts  had  there  been  inclined  to  seek  Him 
who  came  to  call  'not  the  righteous,  but  sinners  to  re- 
pentance.' " 


In  the  month  of  December  last,  the  following  letter 
was  addressed  to  the  Honorary  Secretary  of  these 
Missions,  by  one  of  the  Bible-women  in  a  western  dis- 
trict : — 

"  Dear  Madam, — I  have  found  it  difficult  to  get  the 
people  to  assemble  for  prayer,  at  my  Mission-room, 
from  causes  of  which  you  are  aware  ;  however,  I  gave 
it  out  at  the  mothers'  meeting  that  there  was  great 
need  of  our  coming  together  for  prayer,  especially  at 
this  season  of  the  year,  when  so  many  fall  into  the  sin 
of  'drunkenness,  revellings,'  and  such  like.  I  said,  if 
any  of  them  were  willing  to  open  their  own  rooms,  I 


152  DOWN,  DOWN,  DEEPER  DOWN. 

would  gladly  join  them.  I  found  a  very  ready  response 
to  this  appeal,  and  meetin.ajs  for  prayer  were  held, 
December  11,  12,  17,  18,  19,  20,  21.  The  first  to  give 
his  consent,  was  a  man  who  has  been  an  infidel  and  a 
drunkard' for  years.  He  t.lls  me  he  is  determined,  by 
the  help  of  God,  to  cease  from  the  sin  of  drinking.  I 
have  watched  over  this  poor  sinner,  wept  and  prayed 
over  him  as  though  he  were  my  own  child,  and  I  be- 
lieve he  will  be  brought  to  Jesus  by  living  faith. 

'"'  When  I  first  saw  him,  he  was  unwilling  that  his 
wife  should  have  a  Bible,  and  said,  '  She  never  should 
have  any  of  his  money  to  pay  for  one  ; '  but  recently,  he 
even  gave  me  sixpence  himself.  His  wife  says  she  has 
more  cause  to  thank  God  for  mercies  this  year  than 
ever  in  her  life,  and  that  through  this  Mission.  She 
believes  the  Lord  sent  me  to  her  with  the  '  good  news ' 
that  Christ  Jesus  died  to  save  her.  She  is  very  poor, 
and  much  afflicted.  Eight  persons  were  present  at 
prayer.     I  read  Acts  xvi.,  and  we  sang, 

'Just  as  I  am,  without  one  plea,'  &c. 

The  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  was  felt  amongst  us. 
While  upon  our  knees,  several  were  openly  confessing 
their  sins,  and  imploring  mercy.  The  husband  then 
read  the  twelfth  chapter  of  Acts,  and,  after  singing 
and  prayer,  I  begged  to  break  up  the  meeting.  One  of 
those  iDresent  said,  'I  should  like  to  keep  on  all  night ; 
^lis  is  the  first  evening,  but  I  hope  it  won't  be  the 
last  by  a  good  many.' 

"  \2th. — Again  we  met — the  small  room  quite  full. 
The  husband  here  said  this  was  what  he  had  been 


DOWN,  DOWN,  DEEPER  DOWN.  .153 

wanting,  but  did  not  know  how  to  set  about  it.  We 
bad  special  pleading  with  God  for  their  unmanageable 
children,  and  we  read  Malachi  iii. 

"  18^/i,  {Tuesday) — A  prayer-meeting  held  in  another 
woman's  room — twelve  present.  This  poor  sinner  is  in 
great  distress — her  husband  a  drunken  soldier — she  is 
left  with  two  young  children — there  was  not  a  chair  to  sit 
upon.  Some  sat  on  old  baskets,  others  on  logs  of  wood, 
or  on  an  old  bedstead.  But  that  poverty-struck  abode 
did  not  hinder  our  enjoyment  of  the  presence  of  the 
King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords ;  it  would  be  impos- 
sible for  me  to  describe  the  power  of  the  blessing  we 
enjoyed.  Nearly  every  one  was  in  tears,  some  for  joy, 
and  others  for  sorrow  of  heart,  desiring  to  be  saved  from 
the  'wrath  to  come.' 

"20th. — An  aged  woman  next  offered  her  room, 
'with  all  her  heart,'  (a  stone-floor  kitchen  ;)  'but,'  said 
she,  '  I  an't  got  any  seats.'  She  was  given  to  understand 
that  would  be  no  hindrance.  We  read  part  of  Isaiah  i., 
and  Matt.  viii.     Sang  the  hymn, 

'  Come  to  Jesus  just  now,'  &c. 

The  blessing  was  great.  Most  of  us  stood  all  the 
time.  This  aged  couple  earn  a  scanty  pittance  by 
making  small  dolls  and  dressing  them.  The  husband 
has  lost  one  limb.  In  answer  to  a  question  about  his 
soul,  he  said  he  was  not  saved,  and  wished  to  see  us 
again.  The  wife  added,  'Well,  this  is  what  I've  been 
awanting  these  two  years.  When  will  you  come  again  ? 
Now  mind,  I  shall  have  you  here  on  New  Year's  day 
for   a   prayer-meeting,  and  we  will  get  some  seats/ 


154  DOWN,  DOWN",  DEEPER  DOWN. 

One  poor  woman  came  out  with  me  with  a  blind  child 
in  her  arms.     Her  drunken  husband  absconded  nine 

months  ago.     She  said  '  Well,  Mrs ,  I  am  so  happy 

I  shall  spend  such  a  Christmas  this  year  as  I  neve^ 
did  before.  As  regards  this  world,  I  have  little  or 
nothing,  but  I  can  say  Christ  and  a  crust  is  all  I 
want,  and  I  learned  that  through  three  words  you 
once  spoke  to  me.  I  cannot  tell  you  how  happy  I  am, 
not  from  anything  in  me,  but  from  luhat  Jesus  is  to 
me.  What  you  read  on  Tuesday  is  just  what  I  feel, 
(2  Cor.  V.)  "  Old  things  have  passed  away ;  and  all 
things  are  become  new.''  Oh,  if  you  knew  what  a 
sinner  I  have  been !  but  now  I  can  bless  God  I  am  out 
of  hell.'  This  dear  child  of  God  stands  in  the  street 
till  twelve  o'clock  at  night  to  sell  a  few  articles  on  a 
small  tray. 

"  21 5^. — A  prayer-meeting  held  in  a  room  in  K 

Court,  the  crowning  point  of  my  district  for  sin  and 
iniquity.  When  I  first  visited  this  court,  a  shopkeeper 
said,  'Why,  surely  you  will  never  venture  up  that 
wicked  place  ! '  I  told  him  I  had  a  message  from  God, 
therefore  He  would  protect  me  from  all  evil.  *  Well/ 
]^e  replied,  '  you  must  mind  you  don't  get  killed.'  *  My 
friend,'  I  said,  '  they  can't  be  worse  than  a  Mary  Mag- 
dalene, out  of  whom  were  cast  seven  devils.'  '  Well,' 
he  replied,  '  I  believe  there  is  seventy  times  seven  devils 
in  the  people  who  live  up  there.'  On  hearing  me  read 
the  Word  of  God  in  one  house,  a  person  outside  called 
out,  '  Why  don't  you  throw  her  out  of  doors  ?  I  'd 
drag  her  out  by  the  neck.    You  an't  half  a  black  Catho- 


DOWN,  DOWN,  DEEPEE  DOWN.  155 

lie ;'  yet  this  very  woman  treats  me  now  with  great 
respect. 

"On  Friday  I  received  a  letter  from  three  poor 
lost  yoimg  women  whom  I  took  to  Bethnal  Green 
Asylum.  They  thank  me  for  getting  them  out  of  the 
highway  of  ruin.  At  the  close  of  last  week  I  had  quite 
as  much  as  my  spirit  was  able  to  bear,  for  truly  my  cup 
did  run  over.  Did  our  dear  ladies  know  what  rich 
reward  we  Bible-women  have  in  our  work,  they  would 
be  ready  almost  to  envy  us.  I  believe  we  shall  have 
a  great  revival  in  W — — . 

"  I  hope  I  shall  be  pardoned  for  sending  such  rough 
writing,  for  I  scarcely  know  how  best  to  dispose  of  my 
time  to  my  Master's  honour.  I  do  pray  that  you, 
madam,  may  be  long  spared  to  knit  us  together,  and 
that  we,  who  have  to  bless  God  for  being  thus  em- 
ployed, may  not  cause  one  pang  of  sorrow  to  your  heart. 
It  is  my  desire  to  be  under  subjection  to  my  superiors. 
The  Lord  help  me,  and  use  me,  and  enable  me  to  give 
Him  all  the  praise ! ' 

''April  24, 1861. — These  prayer-meetings  have  been 
held  regularly  two  evenings  in  the  week  ever  since  they 
commenced.      The  person  in  whose  stone-kitchen  we 

met,  in  K Court,  shews  not  the  least  desire  to  have 

them  given  up ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  when  it  was  said  to 
her,  '  You  would  not  be  at  all  that  trouble,  and  put  up 
with  so  much  dirt,  if  you  did  not  gain  something  by 
it;'  she  looked  up,  and  answered,  'Bless  God,  that's 
the  secret ;  I  do  gain  by  it — my  soul  gains  by  it ;  and 
I  hope  others  do  as  well.'    The  party  replied, '  If  I  was 


156  DOWN,  DOWN,  DEEPER  DOWN. 

the  landlady,  I  wouldn't  have  a  lot  of  people  to  and  fro 
in  my  place,  making  a  dirt.'  '  They  shan't  stop  it,'  said 
the  good  woman,  '  for  the  folks  shall  come  in  at  my  win- 
dow, if  coming  in  by  the  passage  is  hindered.'  How- 
ever,, we  have  not  met  with  the  slightest  interruption." 

The  good  Bible-woman  then  expresses  her  conviction 
that  it  would  be  very  often  unwise  to  give  circum- 
stantial reports  of  interviews,  so  that  they  shall  be 
recognised,  or  even  the  district  in  which  they  occur 
defined ;  and  we  agree  with  this  in  her  case  and  many 
others. 

"  I  have  been  asked  very  often  of  late,"  says  a  judi- 
cious friend  who  visits  in  St  Giles's,  "by  those  who 
watch  our  work  from  a  distance,  'Do  you  not  think, 
that  what  is  said  of  the  Bible-women  in  "  The  Book 
and  its  Missions"  puffs  them  up,  and  destroys  the 
simplicity  of  their  work  ? '  As  far  as  the  testimony  of 
one,  who  for  eighteen  months  has  had  more  or  less 
intercourse  with  many  of  them,  goes,  I  would  say,  most 
emphatically,  that  I  have  seen  nothing  of  the  kind." 

We  are  thankful  for  this  witness.  We  can  only  add, 
that  we  exercise  considerable  caution  in  this  particular, 
and  that,  if  we  perceived  that  any  one  agent  aimed  at 
being  written  about,  or  prepared  her  journal  with  this 
viev/,  we  should  certainly  not  meet  the  inclination.  It 
is  often  with  considerable  difficulty  that  we  penetrate 
the  retirements  of  this  true  "  woman's  work  "  for  God, 
or  persuade  our  best  women,  and  our  most  valued  super- 
intendents, to  give  us  the  histories  in  writing  which,  for 
joy,  they  cannot  help  pouring  into  our  ear.     There  is 


DOWN,  DOWN,  DEEPER  DOWN.  157 

no  earthly  work  into  which  sin  and  vain-glory  may  not 
enter,  to  canker  the  fruit  of  humble  and  holy  labour. 

Among  the  outcasts  now  daily  won  into  the  fold  by 
the  blessing  of  God,  the  greater  proportion  stand  stead- 
fast, but  here  and  there  one  and  another  goes  back. 
Those  who  win  them  often  delay  for  a  long  time  to 
individuahse  them  to  us,  lest  the  fruit  should  not  abide ; 
but  there  really  is  such  comfort  in  our  hearts  concern- 
ing hundreds  that  "  were  lost  and  are  found,"  that,  as 
there  is  joy  in  heaven  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth, 
we  believe  it  was  surely  meant  that  the  Church  militant 
should  rejoice  also. 

Our  avoidance  of  public  meetings  and  j^latform 
addresses  has  arisen  from  the  fear  lest  the  excitement 
of  public  speakers  should  lead  to  personalities  concern- 
ing the  workers,  or  to  incorrect  details  of  their  work. 
We  only  profess  to  give  specimen  annals  of  the  Mis- 
sion ;  and  these  are  sketches  from  the  life  uncoloured, 
selected,  because  they  suit  our  purpose,  from  a  far 
larger  mass  of  material.  By  their  calm  perusal  in 
many  ^  silent  country  retreat,  as  well  as  in  large 
towns,  ever-enlarging  circles  of  Country  Missions  of 
the  same  character  are  being  created. 

The  work,  therefore,  is  doing  itself,  by  the  blessing 
of  God,  through  a  general  conviction  of  the  necessity 
of  it,  without  the  construction  of  a  great  Society  on  the 
ordinary  plans.  But  still  it  is  necessary  to  present  facts 
as  examples  of  the  things  intended.  And  as  regards 
the  individuals  who  may  be  mentioned,  are  not  the  small 
possible,  and  even  probable  evils  of  judiciously  present- 


1J>3  DOWN,  DOWN,  DEEPEE  DOWN. 

ing  siivi:)  iticts  outweighed  in  the  scale  by  the  large  and 
undoubted  blessing  which  has  followed  on  their  recital? 

We  certainly  believe  that  God  has  led  us  to  the  right 
way  of  getting  down,  down,  deeper  down  into  the  hearts 
of  the  poor.  Why  are  they  so  wretched  in  their  cir- 
cumstances and  in  their  habits  in  our  great  metropolis 
of  civilisation  ?  Because  the  middle  class,  which  ought 
to  civilise  them,  has  known  so  little  of  them.  This 
knowledge  is  now  being  daily  attained  in  a  womanly 
ivay.  Their  women  make  their  homes — and  it  is  these 
who  must  be  influenced.  Laborious  clergy,  city  mission- 
aries, and  Scripture-readers  have,  year  after  year,  been 
aiming  at  them — and  all  honour  to  the  pioneering 
efforts  of  good  MEN !  Many  souls  have  they  won — yet 
those  "many"  are  still  but  few  in  the  larger  mass  left 
unwon.  The  Lord,  in  this  day  of  His  mercy  and  power, 
is  now  awakening  Christian  WOMEN  of  all  classes  to  a 
sense  of  their  duty  to  their  sisters — erring  and  outcast 
— and  especially  directing  them  to  those  measures  which 
shall  prove  preventive  as  well  as  curative. 

The  hearts  of  the  people  are  at  this  time  softened  to 
receive  the  good  seed  of  the  Divine  Word — by  an  in- 
fluence which  is  Divine  also — it  is  beyond  that  of  either 
man  or  woman  ;  and  it  is  silently  fructifying  seed  sown 
in  long  past  years.  The  returning  wanderers  now  need 
just  the  kind  of  sympathy  and  domestic  help  which  is 
shewn  them  by  the  Bible-woman,  to  whom  they  can 
speak  unreservedly  of  their  past ;  and,  accordingly,  the 
acknowledgment  among  them  is  universal, — that  she 
has  been  a  Link  that  was  missing,  and  is  found. 


CHAPTER  VIL 

WM  "£m  heljini  nmnj)  k  Spare. 


**  To  visit  the  fatherless  and  widows  in  their  affiction.' 


We  beg  to  introduce  our  readers  to  another  Letter 
from  a  Lady  Superintendent : — 

"  As  it  is  nearly  a  year  since  you  first  allotted  me  a 

Bible-woman  for  the   G Square   district,   I   feci 

constrained  to  send  you  tidings  of  the  general  progress 
of  the  work.  Our  mothers'  meeting,  which  was  esta- 
blished three  months  before  '  Medoea  '  came  to  my 
help,  is  now  increasing.  The  average  attendance  every 
Monday  night  is  upwards  of  twenty ;  and  those  who 
are  prevented  coming  on  Monday  night  meet  at  her 
room  on  Tuesday  afternoon, — the  number  of  mothers' 
names  upon  our  books  being  altogether  about  fifty. 

"  We  lately  provided  tea  for  forty-five  women  ;  and 
we  then  had  a  most  interesting  meeting.  Several  have 
said  they  shall  never  forget  it.  They  felt  as  they  have 
never  felt  before  ;  and,  far  from  being  tired,  they 
could  have  sat  all  night,  and  listened  to  the  beautiful 
things  that  were  told  them. 

"  In  addressing  them,  the  remark  was  made  that  the 
Men  did  not  come  to  the  Sunday  service  or  the  cottage 
lecture  on  Wednesday  evenings  ;  and  it  was  put  to 
them  very  plainly,  '  If  any  woman  really  wishing  to 
go  to  heaven  after  death,  would  be  content  to  go  alone 


162  WHAT  LIES  BEHIND  MANY  A  SQUARE. 

without  her  husband,  whom  she  loved  best  on  earth  ? ' 
And  they  were  exhorted  to  win  their  husbands  to  go 
with  them  to  God's  house  of  prayer.  This  ehcited 
from  two  of  them  the  following  remarks :  '  My  hus- 
band said  to  me,  when  I  was  coming  here,  "  No  one 
cares  for  us  men.  You  have  teas,  and  all  sorts  of 
things,  and  there's  nothing  for  us  T"  And  another 
timid  little  woman  came  forward  and  said,  '  My  hus- 
band would  join  anything  good  that  is  begun  for 
men.' 

"  You  may  easily  imagine  that  I  deeply  regretted 
being  obliged  to  leave  them  all  just  then,  and  pay  a 
month's  visit  in  Somersetshire.  But  it  has  all  turned 
out  for  the  best. 

"I  asked  of  God  that  I  might  be  able  to  get  one  hour's 
solitude  every  day  for  prayer  for  my  beloved  people,  and 
special  guidance  as  to  forming  a  class  for  our  men.  My 
heart  burns  with  grateful  joy  as  I  tell  you  that  I  secured 
that  hour  every  day  uninterrupted,  though  my  room  was 
shared,  on  my  visit  to  my  friends.  Was  not  this  an 
earnest  of  the  blessings  which  were  coming  in  answer 
to  faith  and  prayer?  When  I  returned,  a  tea  was 
arranged  for  the  working  men,  in  order  to  form  a 
Bible  class.  Fourteen  men  came  to  that  tea,  and  ten 
of  their  wives.  Eleven  men  joined  the  class,  which 
our  excellent  city  missionaiy  promised  to  conduct. 

"  At  this  tea  I  must  tell  you  there  were  two  men,  of 
whom  it  was  said  to  me,  '  They  will  not  come ;  if  you 
get  them  inside  this  room,  you  will  achieve  a  victory 
indeed.'     The  answer  was,  'I  shall  not  get  them  in. 


WHAT  LIES  BEHIND  MANY  A  SQUARE.  163 

but  I  have  asked  my  Father  to  bring  them.  I  know 
they  are  coming.'  Within  half  an  hour  of  the  tea- 
time  one  of  these  men  was  ill  in  bed ;  but  he  got  up 
to  come,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  to  such  an  occa- 
sion, and  the  other  of  the  two  gave  his  name  to  join 
the  Bible  class. 

"  The  last  day  in  the  year  fell  on  a  Monday,  so  I 
told  my  women  we  hoped  to  devote  the  last  hour  of  it, 
from  eight  to  nine,  to  prayer  to  God  for  future  blessing, 
and  thanksgiving  and  praise  for  past  mercies,  and  we 
hoj^ed  they  would  all  come  and  bring  their  husbands 
and  friends  with  them.  Words  cannot  express  to  you 
what  I  felt  during  this  prayer-meeting,  possibly  the 
very  first  ever  held  in  our  heathen  district.  We  were 
seventy  in  number.  Now  I  felt  as  if  my  prayers  had 
been  indeed  heard  and  answered,  and  that  this  would 
be  but  an  earnest  of  a  large  blessing  to  be  speedily 
poured  out  on  our  poor  ignorant  people. 

"  Our  first  weekly  prayer-meeting  was  held  on  New- 
Year's  night,  from  seven  to  eight.  Fourteen  came. 
From  eight  to  nine  the  first  Bible  class  for  working 
men  was  held.  Both  were  conducted  by  the  city  mis- 
sionary. The  people  were  first  told  of  the  coming  week 
of  special  prayer,  and  were  exhorted  to  be  ready  on 
Tuesday  night  to  respond  to  the  invitation  sent  four 
thousand  miles  across  the  sea.  Two  young  men  joined 
in  prayer  with  great  earnestness,  and  this  gave  much 
satisfaction,  as  they  sat  amongst  the  people.  Eight 
men  then  sat  round  the  table  to  begin  reading  God's 
Word  together. 


164  WHAT  LIES  BEHIND  MANY  A  SQUAEE. 

"What  dear  Mr  Thorold  says  of  faith  and  prayer 
is  so  true,  'We  have  as  we  ask,  and  we  ask  as  we 
want.'  I  did  want  so  much  that  the  hearts  of  the 
people  should  be  opened  to  feel  their  need  of  prayer, 
and  that  the  men  should  desire  a  Bible-reading,  and  I 
must  tell  you  what  faith  God  gave  me  about  it.  On 
New-Year's  night  I  myself  was  obliged  to  be  in  another 
part  of  the  town,  away  from  the  prayer-meeting,  &c.,  (you 
may  be  sure  where  my  heart  would  have  been.) — When 
I  retired  to  rest  I  could  not  help  thanking  my  Father 
that  He  had  inclined  the  hearts  of  so  many  to  attend 
the  two  meetings.  Without  knowing  any  particulars, 
I  felt  sure  a  goodly  number  had  been  present — as 
sure  as  if  I  had  been  told.  But  I  ought  scarcely  to 
mention  these  private  matters,  when  others  of  more 
im]3ortance  remain  to  be  related.  The  Bible-woman 
has  a  Bible-class  for  girls  on  a  Thursday  night  from 
seven  to  eight.  Last  night  she  had  ten,  and  has  the 
names  of  fourteen  who  are  in  frequent  if  not  regular  at- 
tendance. She  purposes,  now  we  have  a  mission-room, 
to  let  these  girls  come  to  work  on  Tuesdays  from  five 
to  half-past  six.  This  class  has  long  been  wanted,  for  I 
find  the  work  of  the  women  is  so  imperfect,  but  it  is 
difficult  to  keep  up,  as  it  wants  the  help  of  ladies. 

"  There  is  one  woman  in  our  district  who  this  spring 
for  the  first  time  felt  herself  a  sinner  and  found  Jesus 
her  all-sufficient  Saviour.  I  longed  to  have  told  you 
of  her  before,  yet  was  so  fearful  of  speaking  too  soon, 
but  there  is  no  longer  need  of  delay.  She  has  since 
that  time  been  brought  through  deep  waters  of  sorrow, 


WHAT  LIES  BEHIND  MANY  A  SQUARE.  165 

and  has  found  joy  and  peace  in  believing.  Her  great 
anxiety  is  for  her  husband,  who  at  first  was  violently 
opposed  to  her  going  to  chapel.  Oh,  how  she  longs  for 
his  soul,  and  for  some  time  past  we  had  agreed  to  pray 
together  for  him.  Owing  to  her  having  a  family  of 
little  children,  it  has  been  impossible  to  pray  with  her 
privately;  so  this  week  I  proposed  she  should  come  to 
me  at  my  own  home.  It  would  have  done  your  heart 
good  to  see  the  joy  beam  from  her  face  as  she  accepted 
the  invitation  ;  and  though  very  lame  with  rheumatism, 
how  gladly  she  came  half  a  mile,  one  bitterly  cold  night 
this  week,  for  this  purpose. 

"  There  is  another  case  in  the  district  which  gives 
me  great  joy.  It  is  some  years  ago  since  a  poor  girl, 
sixteen  years  of  age,  fell,  whilst  carrying  a  pail  of  water 
up-stairs  for  her  mother;  her  leg  went  through  the 
banisters,  and  after  having  spent  many  months  at  dif- 
ferent times  in  various  hospitals,  she  was  at  last  sent 
home  as  incurable.  The  city  missionary  begged  me  to 
call  on  her.  At  first  it  was  almost  impossible  to  get 
at  her ;  she  hid  under  the  bed-clothes,  and  would  not 
be  induced  to  speak  to  me ;  but  by  perseverance  and 
prayer,  an  entrance  has  been  obtained,  and  now  every 
Monday  I  go  to  hear  her  say  six  verses  of  the  Bible 
and  a  hymn.  She  takes  the  greatest  pleasure  in  com- 
mitting these  to  memory,  and  though  she  constantly 
suffers  great  pain,  especially  in  wet  weather,  her  lessons 
are  said  without  missing  a  word.  The  father  and 
mother  are  elderly,  and  '  Hannah  '  feels  herself  a  great 
charge  on  their  hands ;  she  would  be  glad  of  any  orders 


166  WHAT  LIES  BEHIND  MANY  A  SQUAEE. 

for  crochet  or  any  plain  work.  They  are  very  poor, 
and  have  been  so  nearly  starved  that  at  one  time  the 
pint  of  milk  allowed  to  her  daily  by  your  kindly 
mission  was  the  only  thing  she  and  her  mother  had  for 
food.  This  milk  has  been,  humanly  speaking,  the 
means  of  her  retaining  her  health,  for  she  seemed  fast 
sinking  before  she  had  it  regularly.  No  one  who  saw 
this  young  sufferer  a  year  ago  would  recognise  her  in  the 
rosy-faced,  bright,  happy-looking  girl  which  she  now  is. 
The  other  day  she  told  me  she  tried  to  bear  the  pain, 
because  she  was  sure  Christ  knew  she  had  it  to  suffer. 
She  is  now  able  to  walk  about  the  room,  but  never  to 
leave  it ;  and  her  only  change  is  to  watch  some  chil- 
dren over  the  way,  as  they  enter  and  leave  the  National 
School.  This  seems  a  real  enjoyment  to  her.  She  is 
at  times  depressed  with  the  thought  that  she  is  a  burden 
to  her  family,  but  I  have  met  this  trouble  in  a  small 
degree,  by  giving  her  work  from  our  mission- room. 
I  may  remark  here,  it  was  her  brother  and  his  young 
friend  who  were  the  two  young  men  who  engaged  in 
prayer  on  New- Year's  night. 

"  If  you  are  at  all  cheered  by  reading  any  of  these 
particulars,  I  am  more  than  repaid  for  writing  them. 
I  feel  so  full  of  joy  and  hope,  that  I  was  obliged  to  seek 
sympathy  from  one  who  is  deeply  interested  and  so 
affectionately  pleased  to  hear  the  good  news  as  your- 
self. If  it  strikes  you  that  any  jDart  would  refresh  and 
help  others,  pray  do  what  you  think  best  with  it ;  only 
one  thing  I  must  request,  that  no  one  shall  surmise 
from  whom  these  particulars  have  come.     We  are  so 


WHAT  LIES  BEHIND  ]\IANY  A  SQUAEE.  167 

apt  to  orow  self-sufficient,  and  I  am  sure  our  work  will 
prosper  only  in  proportion  as  lue,  the  mere  unworthy 
instruments,  liide  ourselves,  that  our  Master  may  have 
all  tlie  glory/' 

We  shall  indulge  our  readers  with  a  few  more  par- 
ticulars, feathered  from  the  same  field,  and  in  the  same 
spirit. 
*    In  a  back  kitchen,  in  a  little  street  not  far  from  one 

of  London's  seats  of  learning,  lies  Catherine  H ,  on 

a  bed  of  almost  constant  pain.  The  upper  half  of  her 
window  is  level  with  the  small,  paved  back-yard  of  the 
house,  and  her  eye  can  only  rest  on  a  brick  wall.  Her 
aspect  is  somewhat  refined  and  delicate.  She  looks  as 
if  she  had  been  long  in  the  furnace  of  affliction,  and 
also  as  if  the  "  Refiner  and  Purifier  of  silver  "  had  been 
sitting  to  watch  beside  that  fire.  When  she  left  the 
hospital  as  incurable,  she  sank,  in  her  own  idea,  from 
a  state  of  former  respectability,  as  she  was  reduced  to 
take  this  back  kitchen  three  years  ago.  She  did  not 
know  that  the  Lord  had  prepared  for  her  a  friend  in 
the  landlady  of  the  house,  who  would  kindly  pay  her  all 
the  attention  her  forlorn,  sad  state  required.  She  had 
not  a  single  relative  upon  whom  she  could  lay  claim. 
She  had  her  right  leg  amputated  when  only  seventeen 
years  of  age,  by  the  late  Sir  William  Brodie,  but  walked 
with  a  crutch,  and  was  able  to  keep  a  situation  of  trust, 
under  one  mistress,  for  a  long  while  afterwards.  The 
mistress  died,  and  then  she  supported  herself  by  needle- 
work till,  from  a  succession  of  abscesses,  her  right  arm 
became  utterly  useless.    Eor  weeks  and  months  together 


168  WHAT  LIES  BEHIND  MANY  A  SQUARE. 

she  is  confined  to  her  bed  by  sores,  which  prevent  a 
wooden  leg  from  being  fixed,  and  the  pain  of  these  is 
so  great  as  to  make  sleep  a  rare  blessing. 

She  lias  been  brought,  however,  into  a  happy  and 
resigned  stated  of  mind.  "  All  the  time  I  have  visited 
her/'  says  the  above  Lady  Superintendent,  "I  have 
never  heard  her  express  a  want." 

On  asking  her  "  how  she  lived,"  she  said,  "  The  truth 
is,  I  do  not  know,  except  that  God  takes  care  of  me." 

"  Have  you  nothing,  then,"  I  observed  "  to  depend 
upon  ? " 

"  The  parish  pays  my  rent ;  and  a  kind  lady,  for 
whom  I  once  worked,  sends  me  a  trifle,  which  just  goes 
to  my  landlady  for  the  expense  of  my  washing ;  and 
you  see  she  keeps  me  so  clean ;  and  I  never  can  repay 
all  her  other  kind  offices.  Often  on  a  Monday  morn- 
ing I  have  not  a  farthing  left  to  feed  me  during  the 
week  ;  but  the  Lord  makes  up  to  His  people  for  their 
privations.  When  I  was  able  to  get  to  a  place  of 
worship,  as  I  returned  I  have  smelt  the  dinners,  as  they 
were  carried  along  the  street,  from  the  bakehouses,  and 
have  had  none  of  my  own  to  come  home  to, — but  when 
I  got  back  to  my  room,  I  have  felt  no  more  want  of 
anything,  for  He  had  taken  away  the  hunger ;  and  I 
really  never  do  want  anything  now,  for  I  cannot  work 
for  my  bread,  and  God  knows  it ;  I  say,  '  Lord,  thou 
knowest,'  when  I  am  come  to  my  last  sixpence,  and 
always  it  happens  that  somebody  brings  me  something. 
People  I  have  never  seen  or  heard  of  send  me  sixpence 
or  a  shilling ;  and,  dear  friend,  I  can't  tell  you  how  1 


WHAT  LIES  BEHIND  MANY  A  SQUARE.  169 

feel,  when  I  say  that  for  three  whole  years  my  heavenly 
Father  has  kept  me  like  this ;  yes,  and  given  me  all  I 
really  need,  withholding  only  what  is  not  good  for  me." 

"  Oh  ! "  writes  the  same  lady,  "  how  I  come  away 
refreshed  and  strengthened  from  that  dull,  low  room. 
She  is  sometimes  in  acute  pain  all  day,  and  it  only 
leaves  her  at  midnight,  and  then  she  lights  her  candle 
and  takes  her  little  Bible,  she  says,  'to  enjoy  it.'  I 
now  carry  her  regularly  half-a-crown  a  week  from  the 
Mission  Fund,  according  to  your  desire  ;  and  she  often 
says,  'Don't  let  me  have  it  if  it  robs  a  poorer  person.' 
Our  good  Bible-woman  is  much  delighted  to  visit  her, 
and  read  to  her,  and  to  minister  to  her  wants  as  far 
as  possible.  Catherine  is  above  sixty  years  of  age. 
She  has  always  had  a  great  dread  of  going  to  the  work- 
house, but  she  is  now  brought  to  feel  that  if  it  be  the 
will  of  the  Lord  she  should  at  last  be  taken  there,  He 
will  alter  her  mind,  and  make  her  quite  willing  to  go." 

But  she  never  did  go.  After  a  few  months  more  of 
suffering  she  arrived  at  the  hour  of  release.  A  clean 
bed  and  bedding — with  a  pretty  patch-work  counter- 
pane constructed  for  her  by  some  thoughtful  and 
loving  little  friends  in  the  country — and  also  an  easy- 
chair,  were  provided  by  the  kindness  of  readers  of  the 
"  Book  and  its  Mission,"  and  every  alleviation  that  her 
great  pain  permitted  was  afforded.  Her  landlady  con- 
tinued to  the  end  her  gratuitous  and  self-denying  ser- 
vices, preferred  so  greatly  by  the  poor  invalid  to  those 
of  any  nurse.  "I  am  so  used  to  be  alone,"  she  said, 
"  I  could  not  bear  to  have  any  one  with  me  always." 


170  WHAT  LIES  BEHIND  MANY  A  SQUAEE. 

She  was  consumed  by  abscesses,  and  ready  to  depart, 
Her  Bible  was  her  companion  to  the  last,  and  the 
friends  who  had  so  aided  her,  by  means  of  the  Do- 
mestic Mission,  were  remembered  earnestly  in  her 
prayers.  She  used  to  sit  in  the  easy-chair,  contem- 
plating her  bed,  and  seeming  quite  lost  in  gratitude 
and  wonder.  Her  great  trouble  was  that  so  much 
money  was  spent  upon  her.  The  easy-chair  was  left 
as  an  acknowledgment  to  her  landlady.  Her  bed  and 
beddino-  were  transferred  to  the  blind  clerk  in  the 
Strand.*  He,  like  Catherine,  lifted  up  his  eyes  in 
simple  and  perfect  trust  to  the  Cross  of  Christ,  the 
first  fruits  of  another  very  interesting  branch  of  tliese 
home  missions.  As  he  is  now  also  gone  home,  the 
mission  has  once  more  reclaimed  the  bed,  and  it  may 
stiU  prove  a  blessing  to  some  other  child  of  want 
and  sorrow  in  the  hour  of  need. 

Yes !  And  how  many  more  suffering  and  weary 
ones  are  there  whose  hidden  abodes  lie  behind  the 
squares  of  luxurious  London,  in  high  garrets,  and  in 
dark,  back  wash-houses  below  the  level  of  the  street ! 
— those  who  can  only  just  live,  when  they  have  earned 
their  utmost,  on  a  crust  of  bread  and  a  cup  of  tea ; 
weakly  sempstresses  with  bad  eye-sight,  helpless  in- 
valids, trying  to  eke  out  the  scant  allowance  of  the 
parish  with  their  stiff,  rheumatic  fingers.  Forced  to 
live  underground  for  cheapness,  how  many,  fair  and 
gentle  lady,  whom  a  shilling  a  week  from  your  super- 
fluous finery  would  help  to  better  diet,  or  a  healthier 

♦  See  p.  99. 


WHAT  LIES  BEHIND  MANY  A  SQUARE.  171 

liome.  Those  who  best  deserve  this  help  will  never 
din  at  your  doors.  It  was  woman's  mission  to  wo- 
man, in  our  great  city,  to  have  sought  them  all  out 
long  ago.  We  have  too  entirely  left  it  to  laborious 
curates,  and  earnest  city  missionaries,  and  given  up 
the  misery  as  overpowering.  It  might  be  mended  if 
family  were  taken  by  family.  But  it  is  into  a  sister's 
heart  that  woman's  troubles  can  best  be  poured  forth 
— the  troubles  of  a  confined  dwelling,  for  instance, 
where  so  many  must  live  together.  "  You  cannot 
know,  ma'am,  what  it  is  never  to  be  alone.  I  can't 
kneel  down  before  my  children.  I  try  to  pray  when 
they  are  asleep." 

Listen  to  the  story  of  a  poor  widow,  who  had  once 
crept  out  to  a  mothers'  meeting.  A  visit  was  paid  to 
her  by  the  Lady  Superintendent  one  bitterly  cold  after- 
noon in  February — and  the  portrait  is  sketched  by  the 
same  hand  as  the  above  : — 

"  I  found  her  in  a  back  kitchen,  which  once  was 
used  for  a  wash-house.  The  pavement  of  the  back 
yard  came  nearly  to  the  top  of  the  window,  and  so 
obscured  the  light  that  I  could  at  first  see  nothing  but 
a  speck  of  fire  in  one  corner  of  the  room.  A  large 
bedstead  filled  the  tiny  place  so  that  it  was  hardly  pos- 
sible to  get  in.  I  groped  my  way  towards  the  fire, 
and  when  near  enough  to  hear  the  feeble  tones  of  the 
inhabitant  of  this  dark  abode,  I  only  recognised  her 
voice,  for  I  could  not  distinguish  her  features.  She 
was  sadly  bent  with  pain  from  rheumatism,  and  had 
also  bronchitis,  which  hardly  allowed  her  to  speak; 


172  WHAT  LIES  BEHIND  MANY  A  SQUARE. 

but  I  will  give  you  the  substance  of  her  answers  to  my 
questions,  spoken  in  short,  interrupted  sentences. 

" '  It   is  Miss  's   voice — I  know  it ;  oh,   how 

good  God  is  !  I  have  only  the  bit  of  fire  you  see  in 
the  grate,  and  I  was  just  praying  to  Him  to  send  me 
help ;  for  you  see  the  damp  on  the  walls.' 

"  I  looked,  and  the  walls  were  damp,  and  in  places 
wet  to  the  touch,  from  the  ground  nearly  up  to  the 
ceiling.     I  asked  how  she  lived. 

" '  They  wont  allow  me  anything  from  the  House, 
because  I'm  not  old  enough,  but  they  will  take  me  in ; 
and  I  would  go,  as  far  as  I  am  concerned,  but  what 
would  become  of  ray  three  little  children?  The 
youngest  depends  on  me,  he  is  only  seven ;  the  two 
others  have  each  got  a  little  place  ;  the  little  girl  (only 
nine)  nurses  a  baby,  and  her  mistress  likes  her  so 
much  that  she  has  taken  her  into  her  house  alto- 
gether, but  I  wash  and  mend  her  bits  of  things  every 
week.  And  the  little  boy  is  gone  to  a  greengrocer's 
to  run  errands,  and  they  heard  of  my  situation,  and 
have  given  him  his  meals.  So  you  see  I  leap  from 
joy  to  joy: 

"  '  What  do  you  take,'  I  asked,  '  for  your  cough  and 
pain  in  your  chest?' 

"  '  I  have  not  had  anything  to-day  but  a  halfpenny- 
worth  of  tea-leaves,  and  that  seems  to  soothe  my  cough 
and  chest.' 

"  Only  a  handful  of  firing  saved  from  the  day  be- 
fore, and  only  one  halfpenny  to  spend  for  herself  and 
little  child,  the  whole  of  that  bitter  cold  winter  day  • 


WHAT  LIES  BEHIND  MANY  A  SQUARE.  173 

and  yet  not  one  murmur,  but  all  thanksgiving  to  God 
for  everytliing  He  did,  and  exclaiming  at  the  end,  '  I 
leap  from  joy  to  joy  I'  Oh,  well  might  I  learn  a 
lesson  from  this  humble,  bright  Christian !  Shall  we, 
surrounded  with  all  our  comforts  and  luxuries,  ever 
murmur  or  complain?  As  I  walked  home  that  after- 
noon. I  was  humbled  to  think  that,  with  all  my 
superior  privileges  and  comforts,  I  could  not  feel  such 
faith  as  this  widow,  hidden  in  her  damp,  dark,  back- 
kitchen,  resting  so  peacefully  on  her  Saviour's  love, 
that  the  deepest  poverty  could  not  shake  her  faith  in 
Him.  I  was  filled  with  joy  to  witness  the  strength 
and  reality  of  vital  religion.  How  rejoiced  I  should 
be  if  all  who  do  not  know  what  true  Christianity  really 
is  could  see  such  a  picture  as  this/' 


We  believe  these  true  tales  from  the  book  of  life  in 
London  do  so  nmch  good  to  the  hearts  they  soften,  that 
we  will  close  this  chapter  with  another  scene  from  the 
report  of  the  Superintendent  of  the  Limehouse  Fields 
Mission : — 

"  I  know  a  poor  shoemaker,"  she  says,  "  a  most  in- 
telligent man,  who  in  his  early  days  was  an  infidel,  and 
only  read  the  Bible  to  scoff  at  it ;  but  one  day  he  was 
so  struck  on  finding  so  much  in  it  suitable  to  him  as  a 
man,  that  it  led  him  to  give  up  his  infidel  principles 
and  become  a  follower  of  the  meek  and  lowly  Jesus. 
He  was  greatly  afllicted  for  years,  and  he  had  a  family 


174  WHAT  LIES  BEHIND  MANY  A  SQUARE. 

of  eight  children.  Never  will  one  visit  I  paid  to  him 
be  forgotten.  Twins  had  been  born  to  him  ;  one  had 
died  a  few  weeks  old,  and  it  was  lying  in  its  coffin  on 
the  drawers ;  five  little  ones  were  in  bed  ;  the  grieved 
mother  was  nursing  the  living  twin,  which  to  all  ap- 
pearance was  dying ;  the  father,  at  another  part  of  the 
room  at  his  shoemaking,  was  giving  orders  as  to  what 
was  best  to  be  done  for  the  sick  infant,  yet,  meanwhile, 
ready  to  converse  on  the  realities  of  religion,  and  the 
influence  it  had  on  his  own  mind. 

"I  always  felt  when  in  his  company  that  I  was 
breathing  a  pure  mental  atmosphere,  his  knowledge  of 
Scripture  was  so  profound,  and  his  application  of  it  so 
striking.  That  morning  I  had  carried  them  some  re- 
lief, and  turning  to  his  wife,  he  said,  'It  is  wonderful ;' 
then,  speaking  to  me,  he  added,  '  We  have  not  any  of 
us  yet  broken  our  fast,  and  I  was  hurrying  to  get  some 
work  home  when  I  heard  your  foot  on  the  stair,  but 
did  not  know  who  it  was.  I  said  to  my  wife,  there  is 
some  angel  of  mercy  coming  to  our  help.' 

"  At  last  this  poor  man  himself  became  so  weak 
from  low  living  combined  with  the  progress  of  disease, 
that  one  morning,  going  to  his  room,  I  found. him  on 
the  bed,  and  all  his  tools  packed  up.  It  was  a  grievous 
sight — the  young  children,  the  delicate  wife, — the  pro- 
vider for  all  could  work  no  more.  I  was  so  overcome 
that  tears  would  flow.  '  Oh,'  he  said,  '  I  am,  even  now, 
richer  than  many  nobles  of  the  land ;  people  want  but 
little  in  my  circumstances,  a  cup  of  cold  water  is  all  I 
care  for — but  that  kind  tear  of  sympathy,  it  is  sweet, 


WHAT  LIES  BEHIND  MANY  A  SQUARE.  175 

and  denied  to  many  who  can  command  everything 
else.'  Then,  rousing  himself,  he  spoke  of  God's  power 
to  support ;  and  alluding  to  a  poor  woman  who  had  been 
found  dead  on  a  dust-heap  close  by,  he  said,  "  Even  in 
such  circumstances  God  can  so  manifest  Himself  to  the 
soul  that  we  shall  not  heed  them,  being  carried  above 
and  beyond  them  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 

"And  then  there  came  the  closing  scene.  In  the 
beginning  of  the  winter  that  family  were  compelled  to 
take  refuge  in  the  poor-house,  and  I  visited  him  in  the 
infirmary  there.  He  lived  but  a  few  weeks;  almost 
his  last  words  were,  '  I  shall  soon  be  with  Jesus,  my 
Lord  and  my  God.'  When  I  saw  him  in  the  dead- 
house,  I  felt,  as  I  gazed  on  his  remains,  that  an  heir  of 
glory  had  passed  away.  Precious  in  the  sight  of  the 
Lord  is  the  death  of  His  saints.  The  next  time  I 
visited  the  widow  I  found  that  one  of  her  little  ones 
had  joined  his  sainted  father,  and  she  was  bereaved 
indeed.  She  is  now  out  of  the  house,  struggliug  with 
great  poverty ;  the  children  have  since  had  the  scarlet- 
fever  and  measles.  The  poor  widow  has  taken  lier 
aged  mother  to  her  room,  saying  she  is  such  a  comfort 
to  her  now  that  she  has  no  husband,  and  she  cannot 
bear  the  thought  of  hei-  dying  in  the  poor-house.  I  am 
trying  to  do  something  for  them,  and  look  upon  them 
as  a  legacy  for  whom  believers  in  Jesus  will  care." 

A  year  has  now  completed  its  circle  since  the 
purified  spirit  of  that  poor  shoemaker  took  its  flight 
from  the  workhouse,  to  enter  the  mansion  prepared 
for  him  by  Jesus,  his  Lord  and  his  God.     Since  then, 


176  WHAT  LIES  BEHIND  MANY  A  SQUAEE. 

nis  widow  has  struggled  on  with  her  babes,  proving 
the  faithfuhiess  of  their  father's  God,  who  told  him  in 
His  word  to  leave  his  fatherless  children,  with  the  pro- 
mise, "  I  will  preserve  them  alive,  and  let  thy  widow 
trust  in  me."  To  those  who  have  assisted  the  case,  the 
following  statement  may  be  interesting.     The  Hon.  Mrs 

W kindly  and  promptly  took  two  of  the  girls  into 

her  Industrial  Orphan  Home,  Brockham  ;  one  without 
any  charge,  the  other  by  paying  a  small  sum,  and  pro- 
viding an  outfit.  In  this  house  they  are  not  only  edu- 
cated and  trained  to  be  useful  house-servants,  but  in 
case  of  leaving  their  places,  find  shelter  again  till 
another  situation  offers.  One  of  these  girls  is  still  in 
the  home  ;  the  elder  is  in  a  clergyman's  family.  Dur- 
ing the  year  there  has  been  received  from  those  who 
delight  to  cause  the  widow's  heart  to  sing  for  joy,  £21, 
12s.  The  following  is  a  statement  of  how  the  money 
has  been  spent : — Paid  into  the  London  and  County 
Bank,  to  account  of  Orphan  Home,  Brockham,  £5  ; 
travelling  expenses  for  widow  and  children  twice  to 
Brockham  and  back,  17s.  9d. ;  clothing  for  widow  and 
children,  £3,  3s.  4^d.  ;  articles  of  furniture  and  bed- 
ding, 18s.  ;  wine  and  meat  in  sickness,  6s.  8d.  ;  expense 
of  moving  twice,  4s.  ;  printing  100  monthly  nurse- 
cards,  Is.  6d.  ;  in  weekly  allowance  from  February  to 
December,  £11,  Os.  S^d.  ;  making  a  total  of  £21,  12s. 
"The  funds  intrusted  to  my  care  are  now  quite  ex- 
hausted," says  the  Superintendent,  "but  not  so  the 
treasury  of  God,  in  whom  the  widow  and  fatherless  are 
still  exhorted  to  trust." 


WHAT  LIES  BEHIND  MANY  A  SQUARE.  177 

Those  who  remember  the  accounts  of  this  Lime- 
house  Fields  Mission  in  the  "Missing  Link,"  will 
be  glad  to  know  that  the  sum  of  £24  has  been  collected 
for  Bibles  in  that  district  alone,  which  have  found 
their  way  into  the  most  miserable  dwellings.  On- 
speaking  to  an  active  Lady  collector  of  what  had  been 
done  in  this  particular  district,  says  the  Superintendent, 
she  expressed  her  surprise,  telling  me  that  she  herself 
and  another  lady  had  canvassed  this  very  ground,  and 
obtained  comparatively  nothing.  "  Priscilla "  herself 
added,  that  she  went  over  the  same  space  for  a  long 
time  as  a  tract-distributor,  but  that  she  knew  nothing 
of  the  peojyle  or  their  luants  till  she  'went  with  the  Bible 
in  her  hand.  It  teas  this  that  opened  their  doors  and 
their  hearts  to  her. 

"  Yes,  we  do  feel  that  God  is  blessing  the  constant 
working  of  the  Bible-w^oman  by  awakening  a  desire  in 
tlie  hearts  of  the  people  for  religious  instruction,  as  our 
crowded  room  on  the  Tuesday  evening  proves.  Indeed, 
we  cannot  invite  any  more  to  attend,  because  we  have 
no  space  for  them,  (a  larger  Mission-room  is  here  much 
needed/') 

There  is  also  a  decided  improvement  in  the  tempers 
and  habits  of  our  poor.  One  woman,  when  asked  what 
good  she  got  by  attending  the  meeting,  answered,  "Be- 
fore I  went  there,  I  w^as  a  drunkard,  a  swearer,  a  Sab- 
bath-breaker; now,  I  bless  God,  I  am  neither."  Another 
declares,  "  I  had  a  most  passionate  temper,  and  used 
bad  words  to  my  children,  so  did  my  husband ;  now, 
we  should  be  ashamed  to  do  it."     Others,  to  use  their 

M 


178  WHAT  LIES  BEHIND  MANY  A  SQUAEE. 

own  way  of  expressing  themselves,  declare,  "We  are 
gladder  -and  gladder  that  yon  have  come  among  us." 
And  even  those  who  do  not  evidence  this  change,  are 
not  so  open  in  their  sins,  but  will  slink  away  when 
they  see  "  Priscilla,''  or  if  she  comes  upon  them  sud- 
denly, both  men  and  women  will  apologise  to  her,  and 
are  ashamed  that  she  should  see  them  not  quite  sober, 
or  hear  them  make  use  of  improper  language. 

Though  the  distress  is  most  appalling,  and  "Pris- 
cilla"  calls  five  or  six  times  for  the  single  penny,  a 
revolution  of  ideas  is  taking  place.  Many  who  thought 
there  was  no  harm  in  their  trying  to  earn  a  little  on 
Sunday,  or  get  through  their  cleaning  on  that  day,  as- 
sure "  Priscilla  "  that  they  have  not  done  so  for  some 
time.  One  woman,  who,  at  the  commencement  of  this 
Mission,  was  found  in  a  filthy  state^  on  the  Superinten- 
dent calling  last  Monday  morning,  and  telling  her  her 
room  was  not  quite  as  she  should  have  liked  to  find  it, 
said,  "  You  see,  ma'am,  yesterday  was  Sunday,  so  that  it 
has  not  been  cleaned  since  Saturday  night,  for  I  do  now 
try  to  keep  the  Sabbath  as  much  as  1  can,  and  I  feel 
more  contented  and  happy  like  than  I  did."  This 
woman  would  sit  for  hours  with  her  arms  folded,  the 
picture  of  sloth  and  despair ;  she  now  seems  to  have 
begun  a  new  life,  and  when  she  can  get  work  will  rise 
early  and  sit  up  late  to  earn  a  little  for  her  children. 

Does  not  the  thought  arise  out  of  this  fact,  that  the 
same  great  Book  has  yet,  in  the  simplicity  of  its  power, 
to  make  its  way  not  only  to  the  poor,  dirty  rooms  that 
lie  behind  the  squares,  but  to  the  cool  and  sheltered 


WHAT  LIES  BEHIND  MANY  A  SQUAEE.  179 

drawing-rooms  in  the  squares  themselves ;  to  make  its 
way  to  many  a  listless,  selfish  occupant  of  those  brighter 
dwellings,  who  never  thinks  of  any  existence  beyond  her 
own,  or  who  is  saying,  mournfidly,  "My  life  is  all 
leisure,  and  what  shall  I  do  with  it  ? " 

To  those  also  there  needs  to  come  "  The  Message 
FEOM  God,"  and  in  what  form  ?  In  the  words  of  one 
of  America's  most  gifted  sons,  it  is,  "  That  God  has  a 
definite  life-plan  for  every  human  person,  guiding 
him  and  her,  visibly  or  invisibly,  towards  some  exact 
thing,  which  it  will  be  the  true  significance  and  glory 
of  their  life  to  have  accomplished." *  If  any  should  read 
thus  far  in  our  little  book  whose  souls  are  pining  for 
the  perception  of  such  a  life-plan,  we  will  try  and  help 
them  to  discern  it.  Perhaps  they  are  already  helped. 
The  facts  we  have  placed  before  them  shew,  and  we 
hope  prove,  that  the  poor  who  want  teaching,  and  rais- 
ing to  a  sense  of  God's  purpose  for  them,  are  best  ap- 
proached, and  prepared  to  listen  through  the  medium 
of  a  woman  of  their  own  order. 

Our  individual  friends  may  now  in  any  part  of  Lon- 
don inquire  after  such  Mission-rooms  as  they  have 
here  heard  or  read  of,  and  be  informed  what  help  they 
can  render  to  such  missions.  This  will  be  much  better 
for  a  stranger  Lady,  than  exploring  a  low  London 
street  in  her  own  person.  The  qualification  of  a  good 
Bible-woman  is,  that  she  too  should  have  listened  to 
God's  message  ;  then  she  can  be  made  God's  messenger, 
not  ours.  His  word  in  her  hand  and  in  her  heart  will 
*  "  The  New  Life,"  by  Horace  Bushnell,  D.D.     1861. 


180  WHAT  LIES  BEHIND  MANY  A  SQUARE. 

open  His  way,  as  we  have  seen,  and  both  she  and  we 
may  follow. 

First,  He  will  have  inclined  some  of  the  outcasts  to 
listen  and  refrain  from  deceiving,  as  is  their  ordinary 
habit,  then  He  will  have  made  them  desire  to  come  to 
the  Mission-room,  and  be  taught  more  about  the  mes- 
sage ;  not  by  hundreds,  but  by  dozens  and  by  scores. 
Too  large  a  class  destroys  the  individuality  of  this 
work,  and  its  peculiar  use  in  preparing  the  people  for 
other  and  further  teaching  in  the  public  sanctuary ; 
but  let  any  one  desirous  to  help  obtain  access  to  one 
of  our  small  centres,  and  it  will  be  seen  how  all  kinds 
of  work  can  spring  from  them — a  class  can  always  be 
found  for  you  of  women,  girls,  or  boys.  You  must 
uK.'et  them  still  in  the  strength  of  the  King's  message, 
wliich  you  cannot  do  unless  you  have  felt  it  for  your- 
solf.  When  they  listen  to  that,  you  will  come  at  their 
hearts,  and  they  will  touch  yours  by  many  a  tale  of 
woe  and  hardship,  for  which  it  will  prove  a  life-work 
to  discover  the  best  remedies  ;  temporary  relief  will  not 
meet  the  case,  nothing  but  helping  them  to  help  them- 
selves. Yet  if  you  carry  to  them  the  ancient  and 
priceless  Balm  of  Gilead  while  the  aspect  of  their  lot 
changes  for  the  better,  so  certainly  will  yours  in  the  joy 
of  ministration. 


CHAPTEE  Vm. 


**  Having  gifts  differing" — Rom.  xii.  6. 

'  A  thankless,  heartless  pauper  eateth  his  unsatisfying  pittance, — 
Yet  would  he  bless  thee  and  be  grateful,  didst  thou  feed  his  spirit; 
And  teach  him  that  thine  almsgivings  are  charities,  are  loves." 

— Proverbial  Philosophy. 


We  hope  it  is  not  possible  to  deduce  an  inference  un- 
favourable to  Ladies'  work  among  the  jjoor  from  any 
sketches  hitherto  supplied  of  what  may  be  done  by 
the  right  sort  of  Bible-woman  luithout  a  superintend- 
ing Lady.  If  we  had  a  motto  for  our  work  at  all,  it 
AVOuld   be,    "  MiNISTEEING-WOMEN,    TWO    AND    TWO  :" 

and  that  not  two  Bible- women,  but  a  Bible- WOMAN 
and  her  Lady. 

Still,  we  should  wish  to  rescue  our  Agent  from  beina; 
governed  by  a  Committee — i.e.,  from  having  many 
mistresses. 

In  the  system  that  has  framed  itself  out  of  our  ne- 
cessities, we  need  a  worker  and  a  watcher — the  hand 
and  the  head.  The  Lady  Superintendent  (happily  we 
can  point  to  more  than  a  hundred  instances)  watches 
over  her  Bible-woman  for  her  soul's  good,  that  she 
may  minister  to  the  souls  of  others.  Very  beautiful 
is  the  affection  mutually  shewn  by  these  distinct 
parties  as  they  "  wait  on  their  ministering,"  and  as  the 
Mission  comes  into  its  full  scope  and  regulation.  If 
they  do  not  work  in  harmony,  they  had  better  not 
work  at  all  in  co-relation;  for  self-will  on  the  one  part, 
and  exaction  on  the  other,  would  ruin   the  design. 


184  THE  lady's  place 

which  is  to  bring  the  far-oflf  classes  of  society  together 
in  the  persons  of  these  two,  who  shall  then  act  upon 
the  outer  world  with  their  united  wisdom,  and  by  the 
power  of  their  united  love  and  prayers. 

It  is  not  on  the  cold  and  dignified  Lady,  who  de- 
sires wearisome  work  done  for  her,  and  looks  upon  the 
affinity  as  very  like  that  of  mistress  and  servant; 
neither  is  it  on  the  Woman  of  excitable  temper,  rashly 
answering  again,  and  fully  convinced  she  should  do 
better  if  left  entirely  to  her  own  devices  and  adminis- 
trations ; — it  is  not  on  agents  like  these  that  the  Lord 
senda  showers  of  blessing ;  yet  those  showers  are  be- 
ginning to  fall  in  many  places.  The  Superintendents' 
letters,  which  we  so  constantly  receive,  clearly  evidence 
the  kindly  and  sympathising  spirit  in  which  affairs 
are  very  generally  proceeding.  Nearly  three  hundred 
sisters  in  Christ,  the  rich  and  the  poor  together,  have  re- 
solved to  help  each  other  to  explore  and  to  reform  those 
er.aless  successions  of  courts  and  alleys  and  yards,  walled 
in  from  the  lio-ht  of  da  v.  whi>h  hide  so  many  hundred 
thousand  littie  worias  or  sm  and  suffering  behind 
London's  lordly  squares.  These  fellow-helj^ers  are 
very  happy  and  successful  in  their  aim  already,  and 
the  number  of  the  Bible- women  is  ever  recruiting 
from  among  those  they  go  forth  to  save. 

The  rule  of  our  teaching  we  have  found  ready  made 
for  us  in  2  Cor.  vi.  4,  6,  7 — "  In  much  patience ;"  "  by 
pureness,  by  knowledge,  by  long-suffering,  by  kind- 
ness, BY  THE  Holy  Ghost,  by  love  unfeigned,  by  the 
WoKD  OF  Teuth,  by  the  Power  of  God."    There- 


IN  THE  MISSION-EOOM.  ]  85 

fore,  as  in  the  case  of  the  apostle  Paul,  "  our  mouth  is 
open,  and  our  heart  is  enlarged/' 

"Our  ladies  should  be  very  godly  ladies,"  said  a 
thoughtful  and  really  humble  Bible-woman,  "  or  they 
hinder  rather  than  help  us/' 

Instant  in  season  and  out  of  season,  both  parties 
must  wait  on  their  ministering ;  but  what  if  the  Bible- 
woman  has  to  wait  on,  or  wait  for,  an  unpunctual 
lady  who  has  no  method  in  her  arrangements — who 
suffers  slight  and  unimportant  engagements,  and  per- 
petual flittings  and  absences  from  home,  to  prevent 
her  visiting  the  sick  and  suffering,  to  whom  it  is  better 
she  should  herself  carry  help  than  her  humble  friend  ? 
"  It  is  generally  a  mistake  to  make  a  poor  woman 
treasurer  or  almoner,"  says  the  wisdom  of  old  time ; 
yet  in  many  a  case,  we  fear,  unless  the  Bible-woman 
were  made  so,  the  sufferer  would  die  ere  any  other 
assistance  reached  her. 

But,  again,  as  we  have  said,  we  rejoice  that  in  so 
singularly  few  instances,  as  the  agency  now  enlarges, 
is  anything  expressed  but  love  and  joy  in  each  other's 
aid  on  either  side.  This  also  is  of  the  Lord,  who  sent 
forth  His  disciples  two  and  two  during  His  own  sojourn 
upon  earth.  In  each  of  the  ten  postal  districts  of  Lon- 
don we  are  doubly  touching  at  a  dozen  points  (more  or 
less)  the  misery  of  London,  and  beginning  steadily  to 
raise  it  into  self -helpfulness.  The  sui^plies  of  money 
and  clothing,  all  spontaneously  sent  us,  have  sufficed 
hitherto  to  our  extended  need;  and  though  we  have 
never  had  as  much  balance  at  the  banker's  as  would 


186  THE  lady's  place 

carry  us  through  the  claims  of  the  next  two  months, 
we  have  had  little  anxiety  about  money.  The  silver 
and  the  gold  for  the  Lord's  work  is  in  His  own  hand ; 
and  as  He  has  seen  it  well,  He  has  placed  it  in  ours. 

"  The  fact  is  now  made  evident,  by  the  work  of  the 
Bible-women/'  says  no  less  an  authority  than  the 
Quarterly  Review  for  October  1860,  "that  not  only  in 
the  poorest  class  may  efficient  agents  be  found  for  the 
evangelisation  of  the  lowest  and  most  degraded,  but 
that  this  agency  may  be  organised,  under  due  super- 
intendence, on  the  most  extensive  scale." 

In  approaching  the  close  of  a  third  year  of  the  Bible 
and  Domestic  Female  Mission,  we  cannot  but  review 
with  deep  interest  the  way  by  which  God  has  led  us. 
It  has  been  His  leading  all  along,  for,  from  the  time 
He  put  the  first  instrument  into  our  hands  for  this  pur- 
pose, He  has  so  supplied  us,  day  by  day,  with  work  to 
be  done,  that  we  have  had  no  time  to  go  out  after  new 
schemes  and  experiments,  but  simply  to  take  up  and 
use,  according  to  our  gradually-earned  experience,  the 
links,  as  His  providence  presented  them. 

Eor  six  months,  in  1857,  one  good  woman  worked 
in  St  Giles's  alone.  This  worker,  "  Marian,"  is  now, 
by  the  same  providence,  entirely  laid  aside. 

In  the  year  following,  1858,  five  women,  in  Padding- 
ton,  Clerkenwell,  Gray's  Inn  Lane,  Somer's  Town,  and 
Westminster,  had  followed  the  example. 

In  the  second  year,  1859,  their  number  had  multi- 
plied to  thirty-seven. 

In  the  third  year,  1860,  that  number  had  risen  to 


IN  THE  MISSION-ROOM.  187 

1 .37  ;  and  at  this  i3eriod,  May  1861,  it  is  more  than  150. 
These  women  have  been  selected  with  considerable 
care,  (from  a  far  larger  number  offering  themselves  for 
the  i^osition,)  always  endeavouring  to  discover  whether 
the  post  was  sought  in  a  true  missionary  spirit  and  for 
the  Master's  sake,  not  as  an  "  Industrie  "  or  trade.  We 
have  earnestly  sought  to  keep  up  the  standard  of  "  the 
woman  wanted,"  as  that  of  one  for  spiritual  work. 
Not  in  the  sense  in  which  it  was  misunderstood — "  I 
suppose  you  wants  me  to  spound  and  splain,"  but  as  a 
true-hearted  Christian,  who  having  felt  the  words  of 
Him  "  who  spake  as  never  man  spake "  for  herself, 
can,  with  motherly  love,  bring  them  forth  in  all  their 
searching  power,  to  the  lowest  of  the  people. 

Our  women  are  not  all  of  the  same  order  of  mind 
and  our  best  are  not  perfect,  as  themselves  would  o^vn. 
We  have  many  like  Martha,  selected  purposely  by  her 
particular  Superintendent  from  the  most  uneducated 
class — a  truly  humble,  simple-minded,  and  self-dis- 
trustful poor  woman,  who,  by  the  careful,  constant 
training  and  direction  of  her  valuable  guide  and  friend, 
and  the  blessing  of  God,  stands  in  her  district  to  this 
day,  just  as  she  is  depicted  in  the  "  Missing  Link/' 
persevering  and  unsj)oiled ;  it  may  be  added,  that  her 
Lady  has  diligently  sheltered  her  from  the  voice  of  popu- 
lar favour,  and  that  she  sees  perhaps  as  much  danger 
as  benefit  in  the  monthly  meetings  even  of  the  Bible- 
women,  which  give  them  an  opportunity  of  comparing 
their  experiences.  We  scarcely  agree  with  this,  but 
opinions  will  differ  on  certain  points.     It  is  to  our- 


188  THE  lady's  place 

selves,  and  we  think  to  them,  a  source  of  perpetual 
interest  to  discover  and  compare  the  various  ways  in 
which  different  women  seek  and  obtain  access  to  the 
people. 

If  you  talk  to  one  of  them,  she  will  tell  you,  in  her 
own  simple  fashion,  *'  I  get  on  in  this  way.  I  go  to 
call  on  the  wife  with  my  books,  and  say,  '  Shall  I  bring 
you  a  Bible  ? '  Mayhap  the  man  is  sitting  by,  and  he 
says,  'Bible ?  no !  A  loaf  of  bread,  if  you  please,  I  can 
eat  that.'  But  would  you  not  like  to  know  something 
about  the  Bible  ?  Did  you  ever  hear  of  Jesus  ?  '  Oh,' 
he'll  say,  '  there's  so  many  religions  \'  'I  only  know 
of  one,  the  religion  of  Jesus  !  the  religion  of  a  crucified 
Saviour !  Those  arms  are  ever  open  to  receive  you , 
even  you  ! '  and  when  they  see  I  'm  in  earnest,  then 
they  say,  '  Well,  Missis,  bring  me  a  Bible,'  and  then,  in 
a  little  while,  how  they  love  that  Bible ! 

"  Once  I  went  to  see  a  poor  woman,  very  ill,  and  in 
great  distress  of  mind.  I  read  with  her.  Her  hus- 
band, a  shocking,  wicked  man,  was  there.  I  knelt  to 
pray,  and  prayed  for  him  before  I  'd  done.  The  Lord 
touched  his  heart.  Next  day  I  saw  him,  he  said,  'I 
could  not  sleep  last  night.  I  was  forced  to  get  up  and 
pray  for  myself,  and  I  thought  how  strange  it  was  you 
should  have  prayed  for  me.'  I  then  had  further  talk 
with  him,  and  sold  him  a  Bible.  When  I  meet  him 
now  he  says,  '  Have  not  you  anything  to  say  to  me  to- 
day ? '  '  Yes,'  I  answer,  '  but  have  you  nothing  to  say  to 
me?'  '  Yes,  Missis  ;  I  have  read  some  of  the  Word  of 
God,  and  I  Ve  prayed  this  morning  ; '  and  so  we  get  on. 


IN  THE  MISSION-EOOM.  189 

"  One  of  the  people  said,  lately,  *I  always  love  your 
visits.  When  the  servant  comes  in  at  the  cloor,  the 
Master  is  not  far  behind.' " 

Blessed  testimony  !  The  poor  know  who  are  the  right 
Bible-women ;  never  those  who  are  full  of  themselves 
rather  than  their  Master.  Then  they  are  very  likely 
to  say,  in  their  own  vernacular,  ''  That  woman  has  too 
much  jaw/'  The  true  missionary  for  us  is  one  who 
will  penetrate  everywhere,  and  not  be  above  anything. 
She  who  says,  "  The  man  swears,  so  I  don't  go  in,"  is 
just  the  contrary  to  the  "woman  wanted,''  whatever 
she  may  think  of  herself  and  her  capacities. 

As  it  is  often  observed  in  happily-arranged  domestic 
relations,  this  work  goes  on  best  when  the  lady  and  the 
woman  have  supplementary  gifts.  One  having  marked 
faculties  or  qualities  which  the  other  does  not  possess. 
Some  of  the  women  are  methodical,  and  really  can 
plan  their  duties  best  in  their  performance ;  others 
have  willing  hearts,  but  little  head.  Yet  if  these  per- 
sons have  also  humility,  docility,  and  love,  the  right 
Superintendent  for  them  will  make  them  extremely 
useful,  while  one  who  is  not  herself  methodical  would 
impatiently  cast  them  aside. 

Education  is  training ;  and  a  lady,  if  educated,  has 
surely  been  tanglit  to  methodise  her  occupations.  In 
undertaking  the  charge. of  lielping  a  Bible-woman,  this 
will  be  her  earliest  duty.  She  little  knows  at  first 
what  will  grow  out  of  the  mission  to  which  she  pro- 
mises herself  to  give  perhaps  half-a-dozen  hours  in  the 
week,  merely  to  receive  the  accounts,  to  cut  out  the 


190  THE  lady's  place 

garments,  to  meet  the  mothers,  and  to  visit  a  few  sick 
cases.  She  begins,  we  will  suppose,  with  the  love  of 
Jesus  in  her  own  heart,  and  an  earnest  desire  to  take  up 
some  work  for  His  sake.  Her  daily  business  is  first 
with  herself,  her  next  with  her  Bible-woman,  in  whom 
she  may  naturally  expect  some  ignorance  and  a  little 
prejudice,  which  will  by  degrees  melt  away,  if  she  has 
a  loving  and  superior  helper — a  sympathising  thinker 
and  co-worker,  who  prays  over  the  heaps  and  shoals  of 
miseries,  all  the  sorrowful  results  of  sin,  which  her 
poor  sister  brings  to  light,  and  considers  with  her  how 
best  to  deal  with  each.  "  Blessed  is  she  that  consider- 
eth  the  poor,"  and  carries  out  the  wisest  plans  to  help 
them  to  help  themselves. 

But  this  is  not  done  by  merely  sitting  in  the  parlour 
or  in  the  mission-room.  There  are  exceptional  in- 
stances in  which  even  a  lady,  suffering  on  her  sofa, 
has  maintained  a  very  blessed  influence  in  the  district, 
merely  by  her  unceasing  prayer  for  individual  cases. 
In  general,  however,  there  must  be  visitation  by  the 
lady,  if  she  is  to  have  influence  with  the  people ;  she 
must  see  for  herself  what  is  reported  to  her. 

We  have  received  the  following  from  a  Lady  Super- 
intendent, who  is  indefatigable  in  her  care  for  certain 
streets,  which  are  called  by  the  City  Missionaries  "  The 
St  Giles's  of  the  West."  At  our  first  interview  with 
this  lady  we  were  chiefly  impressed  by  the  circumstance 
of  her  delicate  health.  She  scarcely  left  her  house, 
and  though  she  seemed  earnestly  pious,  and  desirous 
to  bear  the  expense  of  a  Bible-Mission,  we  could  not 


IN  THE  MISSION-EOOM.  191 

imagine  her  physically  able  for  practical  superinten- 
dence ;  nevertheless,  her  heart  was  devoted,  and  she 
began  by  decrees,  thinking  she  wonld  "  do  what  she 
could."  At  the  close  of  seven  months'  work,  she 
writes,  concerning  a  proposed  re-division  of  the  dis- 
trict, as  follows : — 

"  Please   leave   us   the   fearful,   iniquitous   N , 

S ,  C ,  and  K Streets,  and  give  avv^ay  the 

rest,  if  you  please.  Thank  God  for  more  workers.  I 
have  so  much  to  tell  you,  that  I  never  find  time  to 
write.  We  are  taught  every  day  no  longer  to  consider 
it  as  our  work,  but  as  God's  only.  I  feel  as  if  I  had 
touched  the  spring  of  a  steam-engine,  and  it  had  carried 
me  off  at  a  pace  which  almost  frightens  me.  We  have 
asked  for  the  blessing,  and  it  is  come,  and  as  our 
heavenly  Father  has  made  use  of  such  poor  materials, 
and  done  so  much  Himself,  we  cannot  help  hoping  that 
greater  gifts  yet  may  be  in  store  for  us — a  rich  harvest 
of  souls !  Our  special  cases  of  conversion  are  all  before 
God,  but  would  occupy  sheets  if  I  wrote  them. 

"  Few  people  would  have  a  conception  of  the  street 
in  which  we  are  working — certainly  not  from  its  out- 
ward appearance.  Many  parts  of  our  large  city  may 
be  much  poorer ;  but  few,  I  think,  can  be  further  from 
God.  Every  sin  short  of  murder  is  daily  committed 
there.  It  has  its  dens  of  thieves  and  its  traps  for  evil 
of  all  descriptions.  The  state  of  public  opinion  in  it 
is  such  that,  though  almost  all  the  parties  living  there 
are  unmarried,  one  of  its  most  respectable  inhabitants 
asked  me  seriously  if  I  did  not  think  her  neighbours 


192  THE  lady's  place 

were  united  in  the  sight  of  God,  although  not  accord- 
ing to  the  laws  of  men?  The  best  proof  of  a  com- 
mencing change  of  views  on  this  subject  is,  that  two 
couples  have  requested  our  assistance  to  enable  them 
to  marry,  after  having  lived  for  years  in  sin,  and  others 
have  followed  the  example  at  their  own  expense. 

"  Our  room  has  long  been  too  small  to  accommodate 
the  people.  We  have  now  taken  the  whole  of  our  little 
house,  and  the  two  upper  rooms  are  being  converted 
into  one  for  our  evening  classes.  You  ask  what  my 
husband  says  to  it  all  ?  He  comes  frequently  to  close 
my  meetings  with  prayer,  and  they  all  love  him.     He 

says  *  he  thinks  he  must  take  a  house  in  N Street, 

and  live  there  altogether,  to  satisfy  me.' " 

This  district  of  N Street  affords  a  remarkable 

example  of  the  way  in  which  God  raises  up  friends  to 
forward  the  work  which  is  conducted  so  earnestly  and 
affectionately. 

It  is  probable  that  our  Missions  may  often  have 
been  commenced  with  a  strong  spirit  of  individualism, 
and  a  desire  to  work  in  a  quiet  way,  without  being 
interfered  with  ;  but,  as  the  field  opens  before  us,  the 
need  becomes  apparent  of  a  gracious,  courteous  Lady, 
who  will  gladly  accej^t  all  the  practical  help  that  is 
offered  to  her,  and  arrange  it  into  its  departments,  for 
which  each  helper  is  severally  responsible.  The 
linking  all  their  efforts  together,  in  single  correspond- 
ence with  the  centre  of  the  Mission,  must  still  rest 
with  one  Lady  Superintendent. 

In  N Street,  the  poor  people  have  themselves 


m  THE  MISSION-ROOM.  193 

come  forward  to  "  lend  a  hand/'  as  they  say,  "  in  visits 
to  their  neighbours,  for  the  love  of  God/'  One  will  call 
at  a  certain  number  of  wretched  houses  after  her  little 
day-school  closes.  Another  will  nurse  the  sick,  and 
comfort  the  distressed.  Another  will  help  the  Bible- 
woman  at  the  clothing-club.  As  months  pass  by,  a 
ragged-school,  a  Sunday-school,  and  an  evening  adult 
class,  have  all  sprung  up  from  the  nucleus  of  good  in 
the  little  Mission-room.  Then  a  friend  who  has  it  in 
his  power  offers,  unasked,  to  pay  the  rent  of  two  more 
rooms,  to  meet  in,  which  have  become  an  absolute 
necessity ;  for  the  best  way  to  the  heart  of  the  parents 
is  found  to  be  through  the  children,  as  the  way  to  that 
of  the  fathers  is  through  the  mothers. 

And  now  says  our  friend,  "  It  has  pleased  God  to 
send  us  a  Governess,  who  is  remarkably  fitted  for  her 
post,  and  who  possesses  the  Missionary  spirit  neces- 
sary for  a  residence  in  such  a  neighbourhood.  There 
are  seventy-two  children  in  our  school-room,  and  it 
will  contain  no  more.  Alas !  we  are  obhged  to  send 
many  away. 

"  We  have  at  present  from  thirty  to  forty  adults  in 
the  evening  class.  We  had  no  intention  of  opening 
such  a  school ;  but  men  and  full-grown  working-boys 
presented  themselves  entirely  uninvited,  and  would 
not  be  refused  instruction.  They  said  if  we  would 
not  teach  them  they  would  teach  each  other.  Here 
evening  teachers  would  be  very  welcome  to  assist  our 
v^^illing  Governess. 

'•  Our  very  kind  friend,  who  has  fought  his  country's 


1 94f  THE  lady's  place 

battles  in  times  past,  is  now  nobly  devoting  four  even- 
ings every  week  to  the  instruction  of  our  "  roughs  " 
in  the  "peaceable  fruits  of  righteousness."  We  are 
again  making  arrangements  for  enlarging  our  rooms. 
We  hope  also  to  add  a  lending  library,  for  the  benefit 
of  our  scholars,  who  are  already  asking  for  books  to 
read. 

"  Our  meetings  are  now  so  crowded,  we  have  not  by 
any  means  sufficient  room  for  those  who  attend.  We 
have  been  obliged  to  remove  the  tables  on  Monday 
evening  to  accommodate  our  fifty  mothers,  who  are 
able,  by  such  an  arrangement,  to  find  seats.  And  the 
prayer-meetings  on  Sunday  and  Tuesday  evenings  are 
equally  well  attended. 

"  Last  Sunday,  one  of  the  rough  lads,  who  belongs  to 
the  evening-school,  knocked  at  the  door  of  the  school- 
house,  and  asked  the  Governess  to  take  him  to  the 
prayer-meeting  at  the  Mission-house.  She,  of  course, 
consented,  and  they  were  joined  by  eleven  of  the  lad's 
companions,  who  conducted  themselves  with  the  ut- 
most propriety. 

"  The  men  assemble  (about  twenty-six  in  number)  on 
Sunday  afternoons  at  a  '  Bible-class '  of  their  own, 
conducted  by  a  lady.  She  has  reason  to  believe  that 
the  respect  which  induced  them,  in  the  first  instance, 
to  accept  her  invitation,  is  growing  already  into  a 
deeper  feeling  of  anxiety  for  the  salvation  of  their 
souls." 

Who  will  not  rejoice  to  see  such  work  begun  in  such 
a  street?     The  Bible  and  the  clothing-club  were  the 


IN  THE  MISSION-ROOM.  195 

first  steps  to  it.  Many  a  victim  of  clirt  and  untidi- 
ness is  now  the  changed  mother,  whose  influence,  shed 
forth  in  her  own  home,  has  brought  forth  this  fruit. 

We  leave  it  to  be  inferred  whether  the  Lady,  to 
whom  they  look  to  regulate  all  this  new  life,  and  by 
degrees  to  draft  off  the  occupants  of  the  Mission-room 
towards  other  channels  of  help  and  teaching,  while 
again  she  seeks  the  outcasts — we  leave  it  to  be  in- 
ferred whether  she  has  not  undertaken  a  ''life-work;" 
and  have  we  not  continual  testimony  that  she  rejoices 
in  it  ?  "  I  am  so  absorbed  in  its  interest,''  she  says, 
"that  I  think  of  little  beyond  it.  I  am  glad  of  its  ex- 
cuse to  be  free  from  dinner-parties,  and  empty  morn- 
ing calls.  I  delight  in  having  a  work  which  obliges 
me  to  be  near  to  God ;  and  that  makes  a  way  of  escape 
for  me  from  the  trifles  of  a  conventional  existence." 

This  is  a  single  sketch,  which  stands  for  others  of  a 
similar  character,  and  gives  an  insight  into  the  de- 
votedness  which  God  can  call  forth  in  the  Lady's  heart, 
when  she  becomes  attached  to  a  Bible-woman,  and 
sees  the  work  that  lies  before  her.  Within  half  a  mile 
of  that  very  district  (which  we  went  to  see  for  our- 
selves the  other  day)  there  are  two  more  such  ladies 
and  their  Bible-women,  and  a  fourth  has  just  begun  to 
canvass,  all  eff'ectinoj  similar  chancres.  Nameless  and 
hidden  such  work  may  and  ought  to  be ;  but  it  is  all 
the  more  powerful.  Surely  it  is  true  woman's  work. 
It  attempts  no  publicity;  it  invades  no  right  of  others; 
it  is  work  that,  to  a  vast  extent,  has  been  hitherto  left 
undone  ;  and  we  hope  that  every  day,  in  all  directions. 


196  THE  lady's  place 

more  of  the  female  members  of  Christ's  nniversal 
Church  will  be  awakened  to  do  it,  and  to  go  forth, 
two  and  two,  like  the  disciples  of  old,  to  the  enterprise. 
And  now  that  the  people  are  prepared  of  the  Lord 
— that  they  are  desiring  to  be  taught  God's  Word — to 
be  prayed  for — to  be  cared  for — family  by  family — 
shall  it  any  longer  be  said,  that  there  is  a  lack  of 
LADIES  to  meet  these  wanderers,  and  bring  them  into 
the  fold  ?  Who  can  compass  the  idea  of  all  we  owe 
them  for  our  long  neglect?  What  clergyman,  how- 
ever loving  and  like  his  Master,  can  possib^j^  be  the 
spiritual  shepherd  of  many  thousands  of  these  souls? 
Let  us  beg'n  to  care  for  them  by  tens  and  twenties. 
There  are  ladies  who  sit  in  their  drawing-rooms 
martyrs  to  self-consideration — whose  own  happiness 
is  frittered  away  by  doubts  and  fears  of  a  speculative 
kind — who  would  find  their  faith  and  hope  greatly 
strengthened  by  the  new  exercise  of  their  love,  which 
the  London  streets  now  offer  them,  and  who  would,  in 
undertaking  the  charge  of  a  few  dozen  families,  in 
connexion  with  a  Bible-woman,  enter  upon  a  new  and 
nobler  existence. 


"  When,  a  year  ago,  I  entered  on  this  work,"  says 
a  friend  in  the  East  of  London,  "  my  ideas  of  it  were 
very  indefinite ;  but  I  felt  that  earnest  prayer  for 
wisdom  and  help  would  bring  down  from  above  the 
wisdom  and  grace  I  needed ;  and  now  I  have  to  own 
that  faith  has  not  been  exercised  in  vain. 


IN  THE  MISSION-EOOM.  197 

"  Our  labour  has  been  one  of  love  ;  and,  though  full 
of  infirmity,  Gocl  has  prospered  us  far  beyond  our 
expectation.  Difficulties  and  trials  have  beset  us 
We  have  encountered  an  almost  brutish  indifference 
to  the  future,  both  in  this  world  and  the  next;  a  stolid 
stupidity,  or  self-satisfaction ;  often  an  absolute  hatred 
of  religion,  accounted  for  by  the  great  prevalence  of 
drunken  habits  among  the  women,  as  well  as  the  men.. 
Nothing  was  more  sad  than  the  fighting  and  swearing 
amongst  the  children;  while  their  wretched  parents 
were  quite  enough  to  make  the  most  courageous,  fear- 
ful to  contend  with  such  a  mass  of  sin. 

"  A  considerable  number  of  these  degraded  people, 
conc^re^ated  too;ether  in  Hackney  Wick,  kept  each 
other  in  countenance;  and,  at  first,  if  one  of  them 
attempted  to  alter  her  mode  of  life,  or  to  attend  a  place 
of  worship,  she  had  to  endure  the  petty  persecution  of 
jeers  and  taunts,  with  questions  of  '  how  much  she  got 
by  her  canting  and  whining?' — which  crushed  more 
than  one  feeble  effort  to  amend. 

"  Saturday  night  is  their  great  drinking  time.  They 
return  home  late,  after  making  their  purchases,  and, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  stop  at  a  public-house  to  spend 
'  the  market-penuy.'  This  too  often  leads  to  intoxica- 
tion ;  and  then  quarrelling  and  fighting  close  the  day, 
and  leave  black  eyes  to  tell  tales  the  following  week. 

"  Every  holiday-time,  as  it  returns,  whether  Christ- 
mas, Easter,  or  Whitsuntide,  is  a  season  set  apart  for 
'  sprees.'  They  hoard  up  their  earnings  in  anticipa- 
tion of  *  a  good  holiday,'—'  their  only  holiday  in  the 


•198  THE  lady's  place 

year/  they  say.  And  at  these  times  they  often  diink 
till  they  ara  nearly  mad.  They  lose  all  self-respect ; 
and  the  misery  that  follows  these  revels  is  bitter  be- 
yond description.  Clothes  and  furniture  all  go  to  the 
pawn-shop  ;  and  it  takes  many  weeks  of  regular  work 
before  they  again  recover  their  former  position.  A 
very  melancholy  consequence  also  is,  that  young  chil- 
dren learn  to  look  upon  these  days  of  licence  as  a 
warrant  for  them,  in  their  small  way,  to  follow  the  bad 
example  of  their  elders. 

"  With  all  this  mass  of  wickedness  my  good  B'  ble- 
woman  '  Susan'  has  daily  contended  for  many  months, 
and,  by  the  blessina  of  Gad,  with  most  happy  results. 
Many  a  house  is  brighter  and  cleaner  for  her  kindly- 
given  hint,  or  from  the  judicious  loan  of  a  book 
Many  a  hard-working  woman,  who  had  thought  re- 
ligion not  mesnt  for  such  as  she,  as  she  had  no  time 
for  it,  may  noiv  be  seen,  after  her  children  are  in  bed, 
hastening  to  the  City  Missionary's  Monday  evening 
prayer-meeting,  where  she  often  finds  '  a  comfortable 
hour,'  she  tells  us,  to  worship  God.  Sixteen  of  our 
women  avail  themselves  of  this  opportunity,  and  it  is 
a  very  important  one  in  this  district,  for  many  of  them 
cannot  as  yet  leave  their  homes  on  Sunday  evening,  as 
their  husbands  say,  '  If  you  go  out,  we  will  be  off  to 
the  Chequers.'  Not  one  of  these  women  ever  entered 
the  house  of  God,  or  heard  His  name,  except  in  oaths 
and  curses,  before  this  Woman's-Mission  commenced. 

"  The  *  mothers'  meeting'  is  become  a  source  of  plea- 
sure and  comfort  to  both  Superintendent  and  women, 


IN  THE  MISSION-EOOM.  IQC^ 

from  the  spirit  that  pervades  it.  In  the  early  days  of 
its  existence,  they  seemed  to  grudge  the  time  spent  in 
prayer  as  wasted ;  now,  the  moment  the  hymn-books 
are  handed  round,  every  garment  on  which  they  are  at 
work  is  laid  aside ;  and  the  energy  with  which  they 
sing  shews  their  personal  feeling  of  the  words.  They 
always  take  a  verse  home  with  them  from  the  portion 
of  Scripture  that  follows,  chosen  for  them  by  the 
Superintendent ;  and  this  simple  plan  keeps  the  Word 
of  God  before  them  during  the  week.  The  verse  i« 
repeated  by  each  member  at  the  next  meeting ;  and 
th^.  words  thus  impressed  afford  a  happy  topic  of  con- 
versation. 

"  Already  we  have  the  happiness  oi  seeing  one  poor 
degraded  woman  brought  to  the  feet  of  Jesus  as  ?\ 
penitent.  When  first  we  made  her  acqaintance  sh<! 
was  a  drinking,  fighting,  swearing  creature.  Tall  and 
gaunt,  her  bad  habits  had  given  her  an  unusually  for- 
bidding appearance  ;  and,  if  we  had  singled  out  the 
most  hardened  and  hopeless  of  the  group  that  first 
gathered  in  the  Mission-room,  she  would  have  been 
the  one.  Yet  God  has  opened  her  heart,  like  Lydia's, 
to  receive  the  truth,  and  it  has  set  her  free  from  the 
bondage  of  sin.  She  very  soon  cured  herself  and  her 
children  of  swearing,  is  strictly  moderate  in  her  habits, 
and,  instead  of  "  sparring  with "  her  husband  on  any 
provocation,  she  strives  and  prays  against  the  uprisings 
of  temper.  Her  gratitude  is  deep  to  the  Superintend- 
ent, to  '  Susan,'  and  to  another  lady  who  visited  her ; 
and  both  she  and  her  husband  have  written  us  most 


200  THE  lady's  place 

gratifying  letters.  The  truth  fourxd  its  way  into  her 
heart  about  three  months  ago. 

"  We  think  we  can  see  several  who  attend  the  meet- 
ings wakening  up  into  sj^iritual  life.  One  bright 
handsome,  high-spirited  young  mother  shews,  by  her 
softened  demeanour,  that  more  serious  thoughts  are 
occupying  her  once  vain  and  trifling  mind.  She 
wishes   '  Susan '  to  see  her  oftener,   and  to  talk  and 

pray  with  her,  as  she  does  with  Mrs  S .     Formerly 

she  used  to  leave  us  before  prayer ;  but  now  she  says, 
*  I  cannot  go  till  it  is  all  over ;  and  if  my  husband  is 
in,  he  will  wait  a  bit  for  me.'  And  then  to  many 
more  the  message  comes  in  their  deep  poverty,  and 
brings  them  to  the  feet  of  Jesus !  One  of  our  most 
degraded  mothers,  who  had  ten  children,  has  been 
rescued  from  reckless  despair  by  the  kindly  sympathy 
aflforded  her  amid  her  sins  and  sorrows.  She  already 
proves  that 

*  Religion's  ways  are  pleasantness, 
And  all  its  paths  are  peace.' 

"  Now  the  husband  is  grateful  as  well  as  the  wife. 
He  says — '  If  it  had  not  been  for  your  Mission-room 
we  should  have  gone  from  bad  to  worse,  and  I  don't 
know  what  would  have  happened.' 

"  Yes !  we  can  look  upon  many  who  give  us  hope. 
A  regular  attendance  at  God's  house,  drinking  habits 
abandoned,  swearing  avoided,  (though  the  habits  of  a 
past  life  make  it  a  peculiarly  difficult  duty,)  and  the 
reading  of  the  book  of  life,  are  all  signs  that  a  good 
work  is  not  only  begun,  but  progressing. 


bS  THE  MISSION-ROOM.  201 

"  Our  Mission-room  is  in  constant  use.  Two  kind 
friends  hold  meetings  for  reading  the  Bible  and  prayer 
during  the  week,  besides  our  own,  which  are  well 
attended.  We  have  two  large  class'es  weekly  of  such 
children  as  seem  to  be  entirely  neglected  by  their 
parents.  We  teach  them  reading,  writing,  arithmetic, 
geography — singing  hymns,  and  prayer.  Nearly  all  of 
them  have  been  led  to  regular  attendance  on  a  Suudav- 
school ;  and  the  warmth  with  which  their  poor  litcle 
hearts  respond  to  the  unaccustomed  voice  of  love, 
make  the  hours  spent  with  them  amongst  the  happiest 
in  the  week."' 


The  Lady  who  took  the  charge  of  "  Ruth,"  the  second 
St  Giles's*  Bible- woman,  on  Mrs  Thorold's  lamented  de- 
cease, gives  us  the  following  interesting  details  : — 

A  SECOND  year's  STORY  OF  ST  GILES'S. 

It  is  a  solemn,  and,  in  some  respects,  a  painful 
exercise,  to  look  back  on  work  done  for  Christ,  in 
which  we  have  taken  any  part.  Solemn;  for  how 
great  is  the  privilege  and  the  responsibility  of  being 
Intrusted  with  the  power.  Painful,  too,  I  do  feel  it  • 
for  how  much  more  might  have  been  done  had  I  usedj 
-as  I  ought,  all  the  opportunities  He  has  given  me. 

We  have  just  completed  the  second  year  of  our 
'^lission.  In  reviewinoj  its  course,  a  sense  of  wonderino; 
gratitude  predominates.  "  It  is  the  Lord's  work,  and 
it  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes/' 


202  THE  lady's  place 

Our  borders  are  enlarging.  God  had  been  so  gra- 
ciously with  us  in  our  mothers'  meetings  that  I  had 
learned  to  love  the  room  in  which  they  were  held.  But 
our  numbers  increased,  and  more  than  once,  when 
asked  for  another  chair  for  some  late  comer,  "  Euth  " 
said,  "  I  have  a  chair,  but  I  cannot  find  the  space  for 
it ; "  and  the  woman  answered,  "  Oh,  you  'd  have  lots 
more,  only  we  tells  them  there  's  no  room ;  no  more 
there  ain't."  At  last  I  was  obliged  reluctantly  to  own 
that  we  must  move  our  quarters. 

And  now  I  will  try  and  tell  you  what  God  has  done 
for  us ;  but  no  one  can  fully  enter  into  the  blessed 
reality  of  our  work  who  has  not  watched  it  from  day 
to  day,  since  first  this  little  seed  of  good  was  dropped, 
vrith  faith  and  prayer,  into  the  low,  weedy  ground 
where  our  Mission  labours  are  proceeding. 

There  are  two  tests  of  success  which  can  be  brought 
before  our  friends :  one  consists  in  the  numbers  avail- 
ing themselves  of  the  advantages  oiiered  at  our  Mission- 
room;  the  other  in  individual  cases  of  reformation. 
Just  glance  at  our  three  tea-parties.  At  the  first  tea 
(on  the  establishment  of  our  Mission)  we  had  seven 
guests ;  a  year  passed  by,  and  in  the  same  little  room 
we  met  thirty-seven.  Now,  would  you  like  to  hear  of 
our  last  tea-meeting,  held  this  Easter? 

During  this  year  our  district  has  been  divided,  and 
another  flourishing  Mission  established  on  ground  that 
was  "  Ruth's."  And  even  our  own  large  room  will  not 
hold  all  who  wish  to  attend  our  work-meetings  ;  so  it 
became  a  serious  question,  which  the  women  asker] 


m  THE  MISSION-EOOM.  203 

pretty  often,  "  What  shall  we  do  at  our  tea  V  I  knew 
that  I  had  a  very  kind  friend  who  would  help  in  the 
emergency,  so  I  did  not  feel  uneasy ;  and  one  day,  when 
our  beloved  rector  paid  us  one  of  his  welcome  visits, 
we  told  him  of  what  we  had  been  speaking.  He  at 
once  offered  his  new  school-room  for  the  occasion. 
So  if  you  would  peep  at  our  third  meeting,  you  must 
come  into  that  really  noble  building,  mount  the  wide 
stairs,  and  enter  the  girls'  handsome  scliool-room,  now 
most  elegantly  decorated  with  flowers  and  banners. 
Here  are  collected  between  240  and  250  of  the  lowest 
and  most  degraded  of  the  St  Giles's  poor.  Twenty- 
five  ladies  are  serving  tea,  while  many  friends  and 
Scripture-readers  help  to  wait. 

Everybody  was  pleased  and  grateful,  not  one  symptom 
of  discontent  or  other  than  really  polite  behaviour  was 
observed,  and  yet  some  of  our  guests  were  not  only  the 
lowest,  but  the  worst  characters  in  London. 

But  you  ask,  and  the  question  is  very  reasonable,  "Do 
women  in  London  wear  coats  and  trousers?  If  not, 
how  came  thirty  or  forty  men  at  a  mothers'  tea-party  V 
Thereby  hangs  a  tale,  which,  as  it  is  a  pleasant  one,  I 
will  relate.  Soon  after  we  moved  into  our  present 
mission-room,  I  repeatedly  heard  that  the  husbands 
wished  to  have  a  meeting  also,  that  they  might  hear 
for  themselves  what  their  wives  mentioned  as  being 
read  by  their  lady.  For  some  time  I  took  no  notice  . 
but  at  last  told  "  Euth  "  to  go  round  and  see  what  men 
desired  this.  With  thankful  surprise  I  heard  that 
twenty-seven  had  expressed  to  her  the  wish,     I  re- 


204  THE  lady's  place 

ported  this  to  Mr  Thorold,  and  after  a  little  further 
inquiry,  to  ascertain  the  correctness  of  the  report,  he 
said  he  would  begin  a  fathers'  class,  to  be  held  every 
week  in  our  mission-room.  From  the  first  they  had 
been  assured  that  there  would  be  nothing  but  Bible 
reading  and  prayer,  and  no  other  inducement  has  been 
held  out.  Except  a  httle  fluctuation  at  one  period,  the 
numbers  have  been  steadily  maintained,  and  are  now 
increasing.  The  men  are  deeply  interested,  and  truly 
grateful ;  while  not  a  few  Bibles  have  been,  and  are 
being,  bought,  as  it  is  said,  "  for  my  husband  to  take 
to  Mr  Thorold's  meeting."  These  men  had  been  in- 
vited to  accompany  their  wives  on  the  present  occasion, 
and  are  not  the  least  interesting  feature  in  the  scene. 
Should  we  not  thank  God  and  take  courage  ? 

Our  work-meetings  are  most  satisfactory.  In  October 
1 860,  thirty  was  considered  a  good  meeting ;  but  before 
Christmas  we  were  so  full  that  "  Kuth  "  begged  for  a 
second  weekly  gathering.  I  fixed  Monday  evening,  and 
resolved  to  make  the  secular  business  of  purchasing 
clothing  quite  a  subordinate  aftair.  We  give  out  no 
work  at  this  meeting,  nor  is  any  done  in  the  room. 
We  commence  by  a  hymn.  A  portion  of  Scripture  is 
read  and  commented  on,  and  we  conclude  with  prayer. 
Before  and  after  reading  they  may  pay  in  their  pence 
for  clothing ;  but  I  am  extremely  pleased  to  observe 
that  at  both  our  weekly  meetings  this  is  looked  on  as 
quite  secondary  to  the  reading.  On  Thursdays  more 
than  one  hundred  are  present,  but  not  more  than  forty 
or  fifty  have  any  monetary  transactions,  the  rest  come 


IN  THE  MISSION-ROOM.  205 

to  hear.     On  Monday  from  sixty  to  eighty  sit  to  listen, 
but  only  twenty  or  thirty  come  to  buy. 

With  regard  to  the  second  test  of  success,  viz.,  indi- 
vidual cases  of  improvement,  I  always  feel  reluctant  to 
say  much.  Yet,  as  far  as  outward  reformation  is  con- 
cerned, I  can  with  thankful  heart  point  to  little  children 
brought  to  baptism  and  to  school,  who  were  growing  up 
as  heathens.  I  can  shew  you  those  once  among  the 
worst  women  in  this  evil  city,  who  now  lead  moral, 
quiet  lives,  are  clean  and  decent  in  person  and  home 
and  most  diligent  attendants  on  our  cottage  lectures. 
If  this  outward  reformation  be  not  all  we  desire,  it  is 
not  a  little  thing.  It  generally  means  a  great  deal 
more.  But  I  never  encourage  any  talking  of  inward 
feelings  by  the  women,  I  so  very  much  dread  manufac- 
tured experience. 

Yet  look  at  that  woman.  I  never  think  of  her 
without  a  sense  of  shame,  for  I  knew  not  before  how 
very  much  I  could  resemble  Simon  the  Pharisee. 

She  joined  our  Mission  eighteen  months  since.  Her 
countenance,  bloated  and  degraded,  had  on  every  feature 
the  stamp  of  vice.  I  thought  her  breath  polluted  the 
atmosphere  around.  I  shrank  from  contact  with  her, 
and  longed  to  sanction  the  proposition  made  at  that 
time,  that  she  should  be  banished  from  our  Mission- 
room  as  too  hardened  to  get  good,  and  so  bad  that 
others  objected  to  sit  with  her.  Thank  God,  I  remem- 
bered that  I  was  called  to  imitate  Him  who  "  receiveth 
sinners  and  eateth  with  them."  At  first  her  attendance 
was  most  irregular,  and  for  some  months  ceased.     I 


206  THE  lady's  place 

met  her  one  day  last  October  in  the  street,  and  asked, 
"  Why  have  you  not  been  at  the  Mission-room  lately  V* 
"  I'll  come  now  you're  back,  you'll  see  me  next  time." 
I  did  not  believe  her,  for  I  saw  that  she  had  been 
drinking.  She  came,  however.  I  think  that  day  I 
told  the  story  of  the  sinful  woman  who  washed  Christ's 
feet.  Her  attention  was  riveted.  She  has  never  missed 
but  one  meeting  since,  and  that  was  through  illness. 
Do  you  look  round  to  recognise  her?  Ah,  you  will 
not  know  her  from  my  description,  though  her  counte- 
nance is  not  so  changed  as  her  life.  But  she  is  attrac- 
tive rather  than  repulsive-looking  now  ;  and  her  at- 
tention is,  as  well  as  that  of  several  otliers,  positively 
exhausting  to  me.  I  never  (till  the  last  few  weeks) 
have  fancied  it  possible  that  the  eager  attention  of  the 
hearer  could  fatigue  the  speaker  ;  but  it  is  so  with  more 
than  one  of  those  poor  women,  and  then  the  tears, 
silent  and  unheeded,  will  fall  from  their  eyes  as  the 
love  of  Christ  is  spoken  of !  Oh,  I  cannot  tell  you  how 
sure  and  real  are  the  tokens  which  we  have  of  a  bless- 
ing.    But  tJie  day  shall  declare  it. 

One  woman,  who  was  with  us  from  the  first,  and 
was  living  in  such  bold  and  open  sin,  that  I  thought  it 
would  be  unwise  to  visit  her  myself,  was,  about  a  year 
since,  very  much  touched  by  the  story  of  Hagar.  In 
January  she  spoke  of  the  good  she  had  got  in  our 
Mission,  adding,  she  had  felt  quite  different  since  she 
began  to  come.  As  I  knew  there  was  little  outward 
token  of  change,  I  fancied  she  only  said  what  she  did 
to  please  me,  or  from  a  momentary  impression.     On 


IN  THE  MISSION-ROOM.  207 

that  occasion  she  commenced  paying  for  a  new  dress, 
and  was  very  difficult  to  please,  taking  at  last  a  much 
lighter  cotton  than  we  commended,  and  silencing  my 
advice  by  saying,  in  a  whisper,  "Ah,  but  I  want  it  for 
a  very  'ticular  'casion ;  you  don't  know  nothing,  but 
I'll  tell  some  day/'  The  dress  was  made  and  bought  a 
few  weeks  since,  and  she  came  to  "  Ruth,"  some  days 
after,  to  ask  her  "  to  get  the  bands  called,"  as  she  and 
"  her  man  '"*  meant  to  marry ;  she  could  not  go  on  as 
she  had,  after  all  she  had  heard  at  the  mothers'  meet- 
ings. 

Meantime,  all  those  mentioned  in  former  numbers 
are  going  on  most  satisfactorily.  I  have  every  reason 
to  believe  that  none  of  those  in  whom  I  feel  a  peculiar 
interest  have  been  led  into  drunkenness  this  Easter.  I 
only  wish  you  could  have  seen  their  looks  of  earnest, 
holy  resolve,  on  the  day  before  Good  Friday,  when, 
after  telling  of  a  Saviour's  dying  love,  I  begged  them 
to  remember  that  His  eye  would  be  on  them,  and  His 
heart  grieved  did  they  fall  into  sin. 

And  now  I  want  to  ask  all  who  read  this  to  help 
this  work.  How  ?  By  coming  to  look  at  us  at  our 
meetings  ?  Oh  no  !  that  hinders,  impedes,  may  injure 
our  work.  Without  a  very  strong  reason  indeed,  please 
do  not  visit  us,  but  help  us  by  prayer.  If  those  who 
by  sickness  or  other  circumstances  are  prevented  from 
much  active  service,  would  pray  constantly  for  us  in 
the  heat  and  tumult  of  the  conflict  witli  evil,  how  very 
blessed  would  be  the  results.  Plead  for  "  Ruth,"  that 
she  may  be  more  and  more  fitted  for  her  portion  of  the 


208  THE  lady's  place 

work.  Plead  for  "Kuth's"  lady,  that  she  may  have 
the  grace  and  skill,  the  humility  and  wisdom,  which 
she  so  greatly  needs.  Ask  that  she  may  be  made  more 
fit  for  this  so  great  vocation,  or  that  another  more  suit- 
able may  take  her  place. 

And  now  once  again  we  turn  westward  to  listen  to  a 
friend  who  says  : — 

"April  1861. — I  have  much  pleasure  in  sending 
you,  as  I  promised,  a  few  particulars  of  the  progress  of 
the  LissON  Geove  Mission.  The  j)resent  Bible-woman, 
Jane,  has  been  in  the  work  just  twelve  months.  Like 
most  other  labourers  in  the  same  field,  she  has  had 
mingled  encouragements  and  disappointments. 

"  She  ha-s  seen  those  who  had,  she  hoped,  abandoned 
their  evil  habits,  and  who  seemed  seriously  striving,  by 
God's  help,  to  lead  a  different  life,  return  to  their  old 
ways,  deluded  by  former  evil  associates.  Yet  she  has 
also  been  permitted  to  sing  the  song  of  thanksgiving, 
and  exclaim,  with  regard  to  others,  '  What  hath  God 
wrought ! '  The  swearer  has  given  up  swearing,  the 
drunkard  has  become  sober,  and  the  Sabbath-breaker 
is  now  to  be  seen  sitting  under  the  sound  of  the  gospel, 
and  seeking  to  bring  others  with  him. 

"  Many  of  the  homes,  that  within  a  year  were  scenes 
of  wretchedness  and  dirt,  are  now  cleaner,  and  compara- 
tively comfortable.  Our  City  Missionary  witnesses 
that  they  are  not  like  the  same.  The  mothers,  instead 
of  repining  at  their  lot,  as  they  used  to  do,  (and  a  hard 
lot  it  is  with  not  a  few,)  now  meet  me  with  a  smiling 


IN  THE  MISSION-EOOM.  209 

face,  and  often  say,  '  Well,  ma'am,  I  must  not  grumble, 
my  husband  has  had  three  days'  work  last  week,  and 
I  expect  he  will  have  more  this  : '  or,  '  I  am  sure  you 
will  thank  God  with  me  that  my  husband  went  last 
night  to  the  meeting,  (a  simple  service  conducted  by 
the  above  Missionary  in  our  room,)  and  he  says  he 
will  go  again  ;  I  do  feel  so  thankful : '  or,  '  God  has 
been  very  good  to  me,  He  has  sent  me  a  friend  indeed, 
(meaning  Jane ;)  things  have  been  different  with  me 
since  I  knewed  her.' 

"These,  and  similar  expressions  from  these  poor 
creatures,  are  no  small  cause  for  thankfulness,  when  we 
can  look  back  a  few  months  only,  and  remember  the 
shudder  we  felt  at  the  fearful  oaths  and  vile  language 
that  then  so  frequently  fell  from  the  same  lips. 

"  With  regard  to  the  Bible  work,  the  number  of 
subscribers  has  decreased  considerably,  for  Jane,  at 
the  present  time,  has  only  between  twenty  and  thirty 
names  in  her  collecting-book,  and  most  of  these  are 
for  large-print  copies  of  the  Scriptures  ;  but  she  con- 
tinues to  devote  the  principal  part  of  three  days  a- 
week  to  the  regular  canvass  of  her  district,  calling  upon 
the  old  subscribers  and  endeavouring  to  urge  upon 
each  the  daily  perusal  of  God's  Word,  and  herself 
reading  to  them  when  practicable. 

''The  average  attendance  at  our  mothers'  meeting 
is  forty-one,  though  we  have  nearly  twice  that  number 
in  our  attendance-book.  I  believe  these  meetings  have 
been  made  a  temporal  as  well  as  spiritual  blessing  to 
many.     I  feel  that  one  object  of  a  mothers'  meeting 

o 


210  THE  lady's  place 

is  to  teach  the  poor  women  iiofc  only  to  make,  but  to 
mend  their  own  and  children's  clothes ;  and  I  always 
encourage  them  especially  to  bring  their  mending,  un- 
dertaking, as  an  inducement,  to  find  them  in  patches 
of  every  description  and  size,  as  well  as  cotton,  tapes, 
and  buttons  as  they  may  require.  Some  of  the  motliers 
have  never  attempted,  indeed  they  did  not  before 
know  how,  to  place  a  patch  on  an  old  garment. 
Jane  now  watches  over  this  department,  while  I  seek 
to  benefit  their  souls  by  reading  and  talking  to  them. 
The  attention  and  interest  manifested  is  very  encourag- 
ing, the  fixed  gaze  and  tearful  eye  often  speaking  more 
powerfully  than  words,  though  many  are  the  expres- 
sions of  grateful  thanks  also,  from  touched  and  softened 
hearts,  as  they  tell  Jane  that  '  words  of  truth  and  kind- 
ness have  sent  them  home  hap^Dier  than  they  came,' 
and  have  further  led  them  to  search  their  Bibles  '  to 
find  the  things  they  had  heard  about.' 

"The  interest  manifested  in  the  reading  of  God's 
Word  and  prayer  shews  itself  very  often  by  some  of 
these  poor  women,  who  are  out  at  work,  coming  into 
the  meeting  for  that  alone,  and  leaving  at  its  conclu- 
sion, though  they  often  remark,  '  I  wish  I  could  stay  it 
all,  ma'am.'  One  who  has  to  support  herself  and  a 
family  of  eight  children  by  flower  selling  (her  hus- 
band from  bodily  infirmity  earning  but  very  little)  told 
me  '  the  meeting  was  such  a  comfort  to  her,  and  had 
been  so  blessed  to  her  soul's  good,  whenever  she  came, 
that  she  had  made  up  her  mind  always  to  attend  ;'  and 
added,  *  I  have  found,  ma'am,  I  am  not  the  loser  but 


IN  THE  MISSION-EOOM.  211 

the  gainer  by  giving  up  an  afternoon's  sale,  for  my 
soul  then  gets  something  to  feed  upon  f(;r  days  after, 
and  God  helps  me  to  provide  for  the  bodies;'  'and  then, 
besides,  I  get  more  work  done  the  two  hours  I  'm  here 
than  I  can  find  time  to  do  for  the  children,  all  the  rest 
of  the  week/ 

"  Another  remarked,  '  Ah,  ma'am  !  I  used  to  beat  my 
children,  and  swear  at  them,  before  I  came  to  this 
meeting,  but  I  've  learnt  here  how  wicked  I  've  been, 
and,  God  helping  me,  I'll  do  it  no  more.'  This  poor 
creature,  we  have  every  reason  to  believe,  has  given  up 
both  drinking  and  swearing,  since  she  has  been  under 
*  Jane's '  visitation ;  she  told  me  a  few  weeks  since, 
'there  was  nothing  she  enjoyed  so  much  noiu,  as  listen- 
ing to  the  reading  of  God's  Word,  and  singing  His 
praise.' 

"Jane  has  a  meeting  of  mothers  for  prayer  one 
evening  a-week.  This  she  has  found  a  great  help  and 
refreshment  to  her  own  soul,  and  the  mothers  speak  of 
it  as  '  the  happy  hour.'  One  woman  told  me  'it  was  a 
blessed  time,  she  never  felt  God  so  near  to  her  as  she 
did  then.'  I  look  upon  these  little  gatherings  for 
prayer,  varying  in  number  from  ten  to  twenty-four  per- 
sons, with  the  deepest  interest.  At  their  commencement 
there  were  only  the  'two  or  three,'  but  our  Saviour's 
promise  has  been  verified  here, — He  has  been  in  their 
midst,  has  added  to  their  numbers,  and  has  even 
been  graciously  pleased  to  make  Himself  kno\T  n  as  the 
Redeemer  of  one  of  their  souls. 

"Early  in  December  last,  we  commenced  a  Bible 


212  THE  lady's  place 

reading  weekly,  for  the  fathers  only  ;  this  was  a  service 
that  presented  itself  to  my  mind  some  time  before  I 
had  courage  to  commence  it,  but  that  precious  promise, 
'  My  God  shall  supply  all  your  need  out  of  the  riches 
of  His  glory,  by  grace  in  Christ  Jesus/  came  with  such 
assurance  to  me,  that  I  resolved  in  '  His  strength '  and 
'  sufficiency '  to  begin,  and  He,  I  would  humbly  acknow- 
ledge, has  owned  and  blessed  the  efi'ort  in  a  striking 
degree. 

"We  made  it  a  matter  of  earnest  prayer  at  the 
mothers'  meeting,  that  God  would  incline. the  Sabbath 
breaker,  the  drunkard,  and  the  swearer  to  come  in  on 
the  evening  named.  One  of  those  present  told  the 
City  Missionary  '  he  had  never  read  his  Bible,  had  spent 
his  life  in  scoffing  and  swearing,  and  cared  not  at  all 
if  his  wife  and  children  did  the  same  :  but  his  wife  had 
attended  the  mothers'  meeting  for  some  months,  and 
she  urged  his  attendance  on  the  men's  night ;  and  the 
first  evening  he  went,  he  left  the  room  resolved  to  lead 
a  different  life.  He  asked  his  wife  to  find  the  portion 
of  Scripture  which  had  been  read  and  '  talked  about,' 
and  then  said,  '  I  shall  pray  to  God  to-night,  that  I 
may  remember  what  I  've  heard.'  He  has  only  been 
absent  one  evening  since,  and  that  was  owing  to  indis- 
position ;  and  his  wife  told  me,  '  she  believed  it  was  not 
more  than  three  weeks  from  his  first  coming  to  the 
room,  before  he  requested  her  to  sell  all  their  ginger- 
beer  and  lemonade  bottles,  and  the  stand  that  he  had 
been  in  the  practice  of  using  on  the  Sunday  for  the  sale 
of  such  drinks,  "  that  all  temptation  might  be  put  out 


IN  THE  MISSION-EOOM.  213 

of  the  way,  for,  God  helping  him,  he  would  spend  the 
day  very  differently ; "  '  and  now  he  and  his  wife  go  to 
the  'house  of  God  in  company.'  Their  children  are 
sent  to  a  Sunday-school,  and  moi'ning  and  evening  they 
bend  the  knee  together  at  the  family  altar. 

*'  Truly,  it  is  '  not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but  by 
God's  Spirit'  alone,  that  such  a  change  has  been 
effected.  I  should  also  add,  that  the  wife  of  this  poor 
man  informed  me,  her  'husband  generally  made  10s. 
or  lis.  by  his  sale  of  ginger-beer,  &c.,  on  the  Sabbath- 
day;'  and  as  he  is  only  in  receipt  of  10s.  weekly  by 
his  daily  work,  which  is  road- scraping,  and  has  four 
young  children  all  dependent  upon  him,  the  sacrifice  of 
the  Sunday  gains  was  not  a  small  one.  The  simple 
but  strong  faith  of  this  couple  is  most  delightful  to 
observe.  They  have  been  brought  very  low,  sometimes 
rising  in  the  morning  without  having  bread  for  them- 
selves or  their  children,  or  the  means  of  procuring  any, 
(and  they  will  not  now  get  into  debt ;)  but  our  '  Father 
knoweth  that  we  have  need  of  all  these  things  before 
we  ask  Him,'  has  proved  a  comforting  assurance  to 
them,  and  they  have  never  found  His  faithfulness  to 
fail.  'Their  bread  has  been  given  them,'  and  'their 
water  has  been  sure.' 

"  Nor  is  this  the  only  witness  God  has  been  graciously 
pleased  to  give  us  to  the  power  of  His  word.  I  have 
a  testimony  from  a  wife  of  another  man,  who  came 
with  tears  of  thankful  joy  to  tell  me  'she  had  reason 
to  bless  God  that  her  husband  ever  came  to  the  read- 
ing ;   for  though,  ma'am,  he  was  a  good  husband  and 


214  THE  lady's  place 

father,  as  far  as  providing  for  us  went,  yet  he  used  to 
swear  so,  and  never  cared  for  his  own  soul,  or  mine, 
or  the  children's,  until  he  came  to  the  Mission-room ; 
and  last  night,  for  the  first  time  since  we  were  mar- 
ried, he  knelt  down  to  pray.  He  never  swears  now ! 
and  I  hope  soon  he  will  pray  with  the  children.  He 
does  so  enjoy  the  reading,  and  says  he  would  not  miss 
coming  on  any  account.' 

''  The  wife  of  a  third  told  me,  that  when  her  hus- 
band returned  from  the  first  meeting  he  had  attended, 
he  said,  '  We  have  had  such  nice  reading,  I  've  liked  it 
so  much,  and  I  feel  now  /  must  pray  to  God.  "One  of 
the  men  prayed  at  the  meeting;  and  if  he  can  pray,  why 
cannot  I?'  The  wife  told  him  'he  could,  and  she 
wished  he  would,  and  she  would  kneel  down  with  him ;' 
but  he  said,  '  I  do  not  know  what  to  say  ; '  she  replied, 
'  God  will  give  you  words  to  say,  if  you  go  to  Him  and 
ask  Him,' — '  and  he  did,  ma'am,  and  a  beautiful  prayer 
he  made.'  This  man  has  been  in  the  hospital  for  many 
weeks,  during  which  time  the  visits  of  a  kind  Christian 
lady  have  been  much  blessed  to  him.  He  was  after- 
wards sent  to  the  Convalescent  Institution,  and  said  to 
his  wife,  'When  I  return,  God  helping  us,  you  shall 
read  the  Bible  every  day,  and  I  will  pray.'  (The  man 
cannot  read,  though  I  hope  he  will  attend  our  adult 
class,  and  soon  learn  to  do  so.) 

"I  might  mention  several  other  cases  of  men  who 
have  been  much  impressed  by  the  reading  and  simple 
exposition  of  God's  Word,  but  I  refrain  from  so  doing, 
until  by  the  life  and  conversation  we  should  have  good 


IN  THE  MISSION-]  iOOM.  215 

^•(Hind  for  believing  that  the  seed  sown  has  taken  root, 
and,  watered  by  God's  Holy  Spirit,  is  bringing  forth 
fruit  to  the  praise  and  glory  of  His  holy  name,  for  '  by 
their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them.'  I  would  not  omit  to 
mention  in  connexion  with  this  '  Fathers'  Meeting,'  that 
for  the  last  four  or  five  weeks  I  have  been  much  helped 

in  this  meeting  by  a  Christian  friend.  Captain  M , 

whose  prayers  and  expositions  of  God's  truth  I  believe 
to  have  been  much  blessed  to  some  of  the  poor  men,  and 
his  labours  are  gratefully  acknowledged  by  all.  I  must, 
ere  I  close,  mention  one  or  two  little  incidents  in  con- 
nexion v/ith  'Jane's'  work,  shewing  how  much  her 
humble,  though  earnest  and  loving  labours  have  been 
valued  by  her  poor  neiglibours.  A  few  wrecks  before 
our  last  Christmas  tea-meeting,  one  of  the  women  met 
me  in  the  street,  and  asked  me  '  whether  I  should  object 
to  those  who  came  to  the  Mothers'  Meeting  making 
Jane  a  present ;  many  of  them  wished  to  do  it,  and  they 
thought  it  would  be  very  nice  to  give  her  a  book  at 
the  tea,  when  they  all  hoped  to  be  present ; '  adding, 
'  We  love  her  much,  very  much  more  than  you  think, 
or  can  know  of,  ma'am ;  we  can  never  repay  her,  but 
God  will.'  I  was  very  much  pleased  with  this  token  of 
their  gratitude ;  the  money  was  soon  collected,  and 
given  to  me  for  the  purchase  of  the  book, — ('  Light  in 
the  Dwelling,') — which  was  presented  to  Jane  at  the 
meeting,  accompanied  by  many  assurances  of  their  love 
and  thanks.  Since  then,  the  men  have  several  of  them 
asked  what  they  could  do  for  her.  One  man  said  ho 
should  like  to  clean  the  windows  in  the  Mission-room, 


216       THE  lady's  place  in  the  mission-eoom. 

and  Jane's  room  also,  which  he  does  regularly  every 
Saturday  evening.  Another  thought  her  room  wanted 
painting ;  if  she  would  buy  sixpenny  worth  of  paint 
he  would  paint  it  for  her,  which  he  has  done,  and  very 
nice  he  has  made  the  room  look.  Then  she  has  had  pre- 
sents of  flowers,  one  xiia.n  taking  groat  pleasure  in  keep- 
ing the  pots  a  bright  red  colour  ;  and  this  last  week  I 
find  she  has  had  a  shelf  for  the  plants  put  up  in  each 
window,  '  at  the  kind  suggestion  of  one  of  our  fathers,' 
as  she  told  me  ;  adding,  in  her  simple  and  humble  way 
of  speaking,  '  Keally,  ma'am,  their  kindness  quite  over- 
comes me  ;  I  am  not  worthy  of  it,  but  it  is  God's 
goodness  to  me.  He  inclines  their  hearts,  and  I  would 
bless  Him  continually.'  My  prayer  is,  that  both  I 
and  my  Bible-woman  may  be  kept  humble,  '  looking 
unto  Jesus,'  for  of  Him,  and  through  Him,  and  to  Him 
are  all  things,  and  to  Him  alone  would  we  give  all  the 
praise.  E.  S. 

"  P.S. — The  City  Missionaries  in  this  locality  have 
remarked  that  '  Lisson  Grove  at  the  present  time,  and 
Lisson  Grove  even  only  twelve  months  ago,  is  scarcely 
like  the  same  place.'  I  may  just  add  that  one  of  these 
missionaries  holds  a  little  service  in  our  room  every 
Sunday  and  Thursday  evening,  and  another  has  a  Bible- 
class  on  the  Sunday  afternoon.  Many  have  thus  been 
brought  under  the  sound  of  the  gospel  who  never  at- 
tended any  public  service  before." 


CHAPTER  IX 

"Rejoice  in  it." 


•I  journey  forth  rejoicing. 

From  this  dark  vale  of  teara^ 
To  heav'nly  joy  and  freedom. 

From  earthly  bonds  and  fears ; 
When  Christ  our  Lord  shall  gather 

All  His  redeem' d  again, 
His  kingdom  to  inherit — 

Good-night  till  then. 

— Hymns  from  the  Land  of  Luther, 


**1  would  not  hut  have  pass'd  those  'depths,* 
And  such  full  communion  known, 
My  Saviour,  as  is  held  with  Thee 
In  the  Border  Land  alone." 


DuEiNG  the  process  of  collecting  and  arranging  the 
facts  hitherto  presented  to  the  reader  in  this  little 
volume,  the  hand  which  groups  them  has  been  called 
to  other  service — in  its  inner  and  domestic  circle.  It 
is  now  three  months  since  there  passed  away  from  the 
earth  a  young  life,  early  vowed  and  given  to  these 
Missions.  No  one  can  sustain  for  years  a  periodical 
duty  towards  the  public  without  being  carried  along  the 
stream  of  responsibility,  past  many  a  spot  where  the 
heart  would  fain  linger,  sacred  to  private  grief.  "  What 
will  you  do  for  the  April '  Book  and  its  Missions  ? '  "  was 
one  of  the  last  inquiries,  on  her  dying  day,  of  a  most 
beloved  daughter,  whom  ere  night  we  laid  in  the  arms 
of  Jesus,  knowing  that  it  was  within  His  power,  and 
His  only,  to  teach  us  how  to  do  without  her. 

A  treasure,  lent  for  eighteen  years,  has  been  reclaimed 
by  the  Lord  of  the  way,  who,  when  she  seemed  just 
ripening  for  earnest,  helpful  work  in  the  Bible-missions 
on  earth,  has  seen  her  ripe  for  heaven,  and  taken  her  to 
Himself. 

Her  final  night  of  suffering  was  soothed  by  dreams 
of  holding  a  Bible-reading  with  poor  mothers;  and 
among  her  last  audible  prayers,  we  caught  the  petition 
that  "  the  dear  Bible-women  might  be  made  holy,  and 


220  "  GONE  home/ 

kept  humble,  and  prize  more  and  more  their  oppor- 
tunities of  working  for  their  heavenly  Master/' 

Many  were  the  soothing  evidences  of  sympathy  witl. 
this  great  loss  which  reached  us  from  those  engaged  in 
the  Mission — numerous  meetings  had  been  held,  sub- 
missively to  pray  that  this  plant  of  sweet  promise  might 
be  spared  in  the  Lord's  vineyard  below ;  yet  after  ago- 
nies of  hope  and  fear,  the  Lord's  answer  was  only,  that 
it  should  be  swiftly  transplanted  to  His  garden  above. 

"  Oh,  if  I  recover,  how  I  will  seek  to  win  souls  for 
Christ ! "  xvas  the  constant  outgoing  of  desire  from  that 
couch  of  bitter  pain  and  holy  patience.  "Would  that, 
in  the  days  of  miracle,  our  Lord  could  have  said  to 
you,  'Arise!'"  was  remarked  to  her;  to  which  she 
answered,  with  a  smile,  (that  all  who  once  saw  it  longed 
to  see  again,)  "  No  ;  rather  let  patience  have  its  perfect 
work,  that  ye  may  be  perfect  and  entire,  wanting 
nothing." 

At  one  period  of  her  illness  her  friends  received  the 
dire  information,  that,  if  they  would  preserve  her  life, 
a  limb  must  needs  be  sacrificed.  Her  strength  had, 
however,  ebbed  too  far  for  them  to  make  this  painful 
choice,  and  it  was  not  presented  to  her.  She  passed 
through  a  minor  operation,  with  heroic  fortitude,  a 
week  before  her  death,  and  said  she  had  borne  it 
through  the  help  of  a  verse  of  Scripture,  which  a  friend 
had  sent  her  in  a  letter — Isa.  xli.  10:  "Fear  thou 
not,  for  I  am  with  thee ;  be  not  dismayed,  for  I  am 
thy  God :  I  WILL  steengthen  thee  ;  yea,  I  will  help 
thee." 


"  GONE  HOME."  221 

The  "  Silent  Comforter/'  a  collection  of  daily  texts 
irranged  for  invalids,  and  printed  in  large  type  for 
suspension  at  a  distance  from  their  eye,  being  before 
her  the  next  day,  open  at  the  text,  "  The  fruit  of  the 
Spirit  is  love,  joy,  peace,"  &c.,  it  was  said  to  her,  "  The 
Lord  has  given  you  these."  "  Yes,"  she  whispered,  "  and 
yesterday  He  gave  me  the  next — '  long-suftering/  " 

Shortly  afterwards,  she  observed,  "  Perhaps  this  in- 
cision has  spared  my  limb."  "  Had  you  thought  you 
might  lose  your  limb  ?  "  was  the  reply.  "  No  one  told 
me  so,"  said  she,  "  but  I  did  think  so,  and  I  could  have 
borne  it  to  save  life.  Cripples  may  be  very  useful 
people.  I  should,  perhaps,  have  cared  for  all  the 
cripples  in  London.  Oh,  how  much  I  have  learned  in 
this  illness  of  what  sufferers  feel !  When  I  get  better, 
I  shall  think  of  it  as  quite  a  happy  time.  I  had  had 
no  tribulation  before,  and  it  is  written,  '  Through  much 
tribulation  ye  must  enter  the  kingdom.'  " 

"  Quite  a  happy  time ! "  and  yet,  in  the  view  of  the 
attendant  surgeons,  it  was  one  of  extraordinary  sufiPer- 
ing  ;  abated  not  by  opiates,  but  by  the  hours  of  "  holy 
calm,"  those  "earnests  of  erernal  rest"  which  a  sym- 
pathising Saviour  was  pleased  to  give  to  this  dear  lamb 
of  His  fold,  according  to  her  need. 

We  sat  by  her  sidp,  ever  to  feel  our  faith  strengthened 
by  hearing  her  say.  continually — 

*'  My  Jesus,  as  Thou  wilt ;  oh,  may  Thy  will  be  mine  ! 
Into  Thy  hand  of  love  I  would  my  all  resign. 
Through  sorrow  or  through  joy,  conduct  me  as  Thine  own. 
And  help  me  still  to  say.  My  liord,  Thy  will  be  done  I 


222  "  GONE  HOME." 

"  My  Jesus,  as  Thou  wilt — all  shall  be  well  for  me ; 
Each  changing  future  scene  I  gladly  trust  with  Thee. 
Straight  to  my  home  above,  I  travel  calmly  on, 
And  sing  in  life  or  death,  My  Lord,  Thy  will  be  done  ! " 

These  lines,  and  many  others,  are  pencilled  in 
"Hymns  from  the  Land  of  Luther,"  which  were  her 
constant  companions.  Very  early  led  to  lean  on  Jesus, 
and  thus  lovingly  receiving  His  discipline  in  His  finish- 
ing school  of  affliction,  we  scarcely  marvelled  that  the 
enemy  of  souls  was  never  permitted  to  harass  her  with 
a  single  doubt,  and  we  never  heard  her  murmur.  How 
many  a  lesson  from  the  Word  she  has  left  us  !  " '  Wait 
on  the  Lord  ;'  that,"  she  said  one  day,  "  implies  that  He 
must  be  present  with  us,  for  how  can  a  servant  wait 
on  his  master  in  his  absence  ? "  She  loved  to  hear 
chapter  after  chapter  from  the  book  of  Acts,  and  spoke 
of  it  as  the  best  distraction  from  her  pain,  when  other 
books  were  felt  to  be  too  exciting.  She  "  knew  it  all, 
but  always  wanted  to  hear  it  again." 

"  Perhaps  you  are  like  St  Paul,  in  a  strait  betwixt 
two,"  was  said  to  her,  "  desiring  to  depart  and  be  with 
Christ?" 

"  No,"  she  answered.  "  If  you  talk  to  me  of  dying, 
you  will  make  me  wish  to  go  ;  but  I  am  not  in  a  strait ; 
I  am  ready  for  either,  but  I  think  1  shall  live  to  the 
glory  of  God." 

From  the  age  of  eleven  she  had  desired  to  become 
visibly  a  member  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  and  when 
delay  was  recommended,  lest  she  might  scarcely  know 
her  own  mind  at  that  age,  she  answered  very  humbly, 


"GONE  HOME."  223 

*  I  feel  that  /  love  Jesus,  and  I  am  sure  that  Jesus 
loves  me.     Do  you  want  any  more  ? " 

A  most  consistent  and  blameless  walk  and  conversa- 
tion thenceforth  proved  her  a  "  living  epistle/'  known 
and  read  most  by  her  young  friends. 

"  The  impression  that  '  Edith '  made  upon  me,"  says 
one  of  these,  ''was  always  of  her  earnest,  steadfast  aim 
and  unswerving  purpose  to  serve  God  with  all  her 
heart  and  mind  and  soul  and  strength.  This  seemed 
with  her  an  ever-present  thought.  Each  person  she 
met  was  of  interest  to  her :  were  they  God's  children, 
she  delighted  to  be  with  them ;  were  they  yet  '  afar 
off,'  her  longing  was  that  thev  might  be  'brought 
nigh.'" 

This  all-pervading  feeling  in  her  mind  was  ever 
evincing  itself,  and  though  there  was  so  much  about 
her  to  remind  one  that  she  was  young  and  most  child- 
like in  spirit,  her  artless  remarks  shewed  that  she 
never  forgot  that  each  person  she  met  had  an  undying 
soul.  Did  others  talk  of  the  faults  and  failino^s  of 
their  companions  ?  She  would  ask  that  prayer  might  be 
made  unto  God  for  them.  It  was  indeed  good  to  be 
with  her.  You  had  no  need  to  ask,  was  she  a  child 
of  God  ?  A  very  few  moments'  conversation,  and  she 
was  sure  to  give  expression  to  some  thought  which  one 
felt  must  come  from  a  renewed  heart. 

Her  exceeding  delight  in  nature  arose  from  her 
reading  the  book  of  God's  works  in  the  light  of  His 
Word,  and  was  enhanced  by  the  remembrance  that  He 
who  so  clothed  the  OTass  of  the  field  cared  too  for  her 


224 

"  Life  seemed,  indeed,  all  bright  before  her  ;  and  with 
what  joy  she  looked  forward  to  a  life  of  work  for 
Christ!  counting  them  worthy  of  double  honour  who 
had  become  fellow-labourers  with  God  in  His  purposes 
of  salvation/' 

"  He  who  accepts  '  purpose '  has  said  to  that  young 
and  earnest  spirit,  *  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  ser- 
vant :  thou  hast  been  faithful  over  a  few  things,  I  will 
make  thee  ruler  over  many  things/  So  now  being 
made  perfect,  she  serves  Him  perfectly/' 

Yes,  in  the  last  year  of  her  course  there  was  evi- 
dently a  ripening  and  preparing  of  the  soul — as  many 
a  silent  memento  now  proves — for  the  fuller  develop- 
ment of  the  heavenly  state.  She  seldom  slept  without 
repeating  the  hymn — 

"  Father  of  eternal  grace, 
Glorify  Thyself  in  me ; 
Meekly  beaming  in  my  face 

May  the  world  Thine  image  see." 

And  this  prayer  was  singularly  answered,  for  not  only 
one  friend,  but  all  who  saw  her  witnessed  to  the  pecu- 
liar influence  of  her  smile.  "  I  shall  never  forget  my  in- 
terview with  your  Edith  at  B ,"  says  a  correspondent. 

"  She  was  alone  with  me,  and  I  sat  for  an  hour,  won- 
dering at  that  bright  young  face,  as  she  talked  about 
heaven.  She  said  she  longed  to  spend  and  be  spent 
in  the  service  of  her  Redeemer  upon  earth ;  and  I  re- 
plied with  Milton's  line — 

'They  also  serve  who  only  stand  and  wait.' 

And  then  she  spoke  of  the  rest  that  remains  to  the 


"  GONE  HOME."  225 

people  of  God — freedom  from  sorrow,  pain,  and  sin ; 
and  her  countenance  really  appeared  as  that  of  an 
angel,  so  lit  up  was  it  with  spiritual  beauty. 

"  On  my  return  home,  I  felt  how  greatly  I  had  been 
refreshed  by  that  interview  with,  as  it  seemed  to  me, 
an  almost  beatified  spirit.  I  knew  nothing  then  of  her 
malady,  and  she  did  not  speak  of  it,  but  she  seemed  so 
ripe  for  heaven  that  my  heart  ached  for  her  mother." 

"  If  I  knew  that  I  were  to  die  in  a  fortnight  (she  said 
secretly  to  another  friend)  I  should  be  glad  to  hear  it, 
except  for  those  I  left  behind." 

"  And  at  last  I  am  in  the  fold  with  the  Shepherd,*' 
was  tlie  voiceless  utterance  of  that  calm  brow,  as  it  lay 
ready  for  the  grave,  and  tears  could  no  longer  flow  for 
one  so  blessed.  The  12th  of  March  would  have  been 
her  eighteenth  birthday,  and  she  had  then  greatly  de- 
sired to  receive  the  communion  in  her  sick-chamber, 
with  a  few  dear  friends  around  her.  Four  days  pre- 
viously, however,  she  had  been  removed  to  the  presence 
of  her  Lord  himself ;  but  on  the  13th,  ere  the  mortal 
remains  were  carried  to  the  tomb,  many  members  of  a 
wide  family  circle,  and  other  friends,  one  in  the  faith 
and  hope  in  which  she  died,  were  permitted  to  realise 
her  intention,  and  to  hold  fellowship,  which  proved 
most  soothing  and  delightful,  as  across  the  narrow 
stream  of  death,  with  Him  who  is  "  the  Lord  both  of 
the  dead  and  of  the  living." 

"  I  could  hardly  believe  what  I  heard,"  writes  another 
comforter.     "  Edith  looked  about  as  unlikely  a  subject 

P 


226  "  GONE  HOME." 

for  an  early  grave  as  any  young  friend  of  my  acquaint- 
ance. Her  temper  appeared  so  serene,  her  tempera- 
ment so  cheerful,  and  her  lease  of  life  altogether  sg 
lono-  a  one  !  Yet  He  in  whose  hands  our  breath  is, 
and  y/hose  are  all  our  ways,  had  all  along  known  other- 
wise ;  and  from  the  first  loan  of  this  dear  child  to  you, 
had  all  along  intended  thus  early  to  reclaim  His  own. 

"  How  blessed  of  Him  to  have  hidden  all  this  from 
you  till  the  very  moment  when  you  must  know  it !  and 
how  much  more  blessed  to  have  written  her  name  in 
the  Lamb's  Book  of  Life,  so  long  before  He  took  her, 
that  this  new  and  undying  relationship  might  have 
time  to  grow  down  into  your  hearts — that  thus,  in  the 
moment  of  this  most  sad  bereavement,  you  might  feel 
yourselves  only  half -bereaved,  in  the  sweet  and  restful 
consciousness,  that,  though  become  invisible  to  your 
mortal  eyes,  your  child  still  lives,  and  will  live  eter- 
nally with  God  !  She  never  lived  so  truly  and  so  bless- 
edly as  she  lives  now.  1  Sam.  iii.  18,  'It  is  the  Lord ; 
let  him  do  what  seemeth  him  good,'  appears  always  to 
me  a  precious  portion  for  a  bereaved  jDarent.  So  also 
Matt.  xi.  26,  '  Even  so,  Father :  for  so  it  seemed  good 
in  thy  sight.'  This  is  enough  to  the  heart  of  the 
Christian — 'It  seemed  good  to  out/  Father.' 

"  Our  American  friend,  H.  W.  Beech er,  says, '  If  I  could 
have  had  my  way,  the  bond  of  my  household  would  not 
have  been  broken,  but  then  there  would  have  been  no 
such  familiar  heaven  to  me  as  there  is  now ;  the  chil- 
dren that  remain  with  us  here,  do  not  teach  us  to  love 
children  so  much  as  those  that  go  away  from  us  to 


"GONE  home/'  227 

the  other  world.  The  children  that  God  brings  up 
for  us  are  more  to  us  than  those  we  bring  up  for  our- 
selves.' «C.  H." 

"  You  have  relinquished  at  a  gracious  call,"  says  a 
kind  earthly  pastor,  "  one  of  your  loved  circle  to  swell 
the  choir  of  heaven.  Is  it  not  a  great  honour  and  joy  ? 
You  cannot  lose  sight  of  your  dear  child's  eternal  gain. 
Nor  is  your  bereavement  altogether  a  loss  to  you. 
There  is  a  fellowship  with  Christ  which  the  soul  gains 
through  such  suffering  alone.  Our  blessed  Lord  knows 
the  deep  sorrow  of  a  mother's  heart,  and  yet  says, '  Weep 
not.'  He  still  touches  the  bier  on  which  our  dead  repose, 
and  tells  us  that  they  live  unto  and  with  Him  :  that  they 
never  die.  'Eejoice'  over  your  happy  recollections, 
and  also  in  your  brighter  anticipations.*  You  will 
sometimes  feel  the  dark  shadows  of  death  to  be  a  oreat 
barrier  between  you  and  your  child,  but  you  must  not 
forget  that  her  Saviour  will  be  always  your  Comforter. 
In  your  holy  work  she  will  yet  be  a  companion  ;  in 
your  songs  of  praise  she  will  join  ;  in  your  coiiimunion 
she  will  share ;  only  her  work  will  be  more  pure  and 
perfect  than  yours,  and  her  worship  more  unceasing 
and  joyous.  The  Saviour  'abolished  death,'  and 
*  brought  life  and  immortality  to  light  through  the 
gospel.'  Surely  this  fixes  an  era  of  privilege  which 
commenced  for  the  saints  of  the  New  Testament  dis- 
pensation above  those  of  the  Old. 

*  It  was  one  night  said  to  her,  as  she  seemed  drawing  near  her 
end,  "  We  have  been  giving  you  up  to  the  will  of  God,  but  we  havo 
found  it  hard  ivork."     She  only  answered,  "  Rejoice  in  it." 


228 

"  Perhaps  never  before  have  these  words  seemed  so 
precious  to  you,  'I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life. 
Because  I  live,  ye  shall  live  also/  If  everything  that 
endears  the  Saviour,  and  fixes  our  hearts  in  heaven,  and 
deepens  our  perception  of  the  preciousness  of  Holy 
Scripture,  is  a  blessing,  then  you  have  felt  it  '  good  to 
be  afflicted.'  It  is  in  times  like  these  we  flee  to  'the 
God  of  all  consolation/  "J.  S." 

"Try  to  give  Him  praise,"  says  another  exquisite 
letter  of  consolation,  "for  having  taken  her  from  the 
stormy  wind  and  tempest — from  the  home  of  her 
earthly  parents,  to  the  rest  of  her  Saviours  side.  In- 
deed, I  am  not  counselling  an  effort  which  flesh  and 
blood  cannot  attain.  Rather  I  believe  that  in  the 
interval  between  the  departure  of  the  spirit  and  the 
entombment  of  the  body,  there  is  such  a  fulness  of 
the  nearness  and  preciousness  of  the  Lord's  presence 
manifested  to  the  believer,  that  the  calmness  is  not 
unnatural,  the  submission  is  not  forced ;  we  do  believe 
that  to  depart  and  be  with  Christ  is  far  better.  And 
what  we  believe  for  ourselves,  we  also  believe  for  our 
holy  dead. 

"The  afterwards  we  will  not  think  of  now,  but 
indeed  He  is  sufficient.  Jesus  Christ  is  more  than 
husband,  or  wife,  or  child.  We  do  not  know  the  depths 
of  His  consolations,  nor  the  tenderness  of  His  love, 
nor  the  exceeding  greatness  of  His  power  to  us-ward 
who  believe,  until  we  try  Him. 

"  Oh  that  bright  child  !  how  bright  and  fair  she  is 


"  GONE  HOME.  229 

now  in  paradise.  I  was  thinking  of  her  only  this 
morning,  and  recalling  the  sweet,  mild,  intelligent 
lineaments  of  that  fair  young  face,  which  had  the 
simplicity  of  youth,  and  yet  something  of  the  dignity 
of  womanhood. 

"  She  knows  more  now  than  all  of  us  together,  of 
what  Christ  is,  and  those  who  love  Him,  When  you 
remember  that  each  impatient  thought  is  in  luill  an 
attempt  to  bring  her  back  again,  you  will  ask  to  be 
content  that  she  should  stay  in  the  presence  of  her 
Lord. 

"  May  the  Bible- work,  and  all  belonging  to  it,  have 
free  course  and  prosper  through  your  child's  life! 
May  those  who  loved  her  be  drawn  nearer  to  that 
Divine-human  Heart  which  mourns  for  you  while  it 
rejoices  over  her  !  May  you,  though  now  you  go  forth 
weeping,  bearing  precious  seed,  presently  come  again 
with  joy,  bringing  your  sheaves  with  you ! 

"A.  W.  T." 


"Home,  home,  home!"  or  a  sound  resembling  it, 
was  the  last  articulation  that  passed  the  precious  lips 
of  one  now  "gone  home."  We  love  to  think  of  our 
lost  one,  and  as  often  as  possible  to  retire  from  the 
absorbing ."  Life-work  "  of  this  our  still  joyful  mission, 
to  think  what  the  message  of  so  great  a  sorrow  has 
been  intended  to  teach  us  for  the  sake  of  that  work. 

Has  it  been  sent  in  judgment,  to  put  an  end  to  all 
thoughts  save  those  of  personal  grief?  We  trust  not 


230  "GONE  HOME." 

If  it  is  said,  "What  do  they  know,  who  have  not 
suffered?"  we  may  add — suffered  in  a  way  to  teach 
them  the  great  LOVE  of  Christ  to  them,  and  the  joy  of 
having  a  Friend  for  life  and  death,  in  whose  strength 
they  can  hear  all  things.  If  we  ever  felt  this  for  a 
human  friend,  we  were  soon  taught  the  weakness  of 
the  prop,  and  in  some  way  it  has  slidden  from  under 
us  ;  but  if  ever,  having  no  strength  of  our  own,  we 
])ave  looked  for  all  unto  Jesus,  He  who  "was  bruised 
for  our  iniquities "  has  "  carried  our  sorrows/'  and 
while  the  world  may  wonder  that  they  have  not 
weighed  us  to  the  dust,  we  shall  certainly  know  by 
luhom  those  griefs  were  "  borne/' 

A  great  sorrow  re-casts  a  soul :  it  either  draws  it 
nearer  to  the  Friend  whose  intimacy  must  elevate  it ; 
or  drives  it  into  the  far  cold  space  of  rebellion  and 
despair.  When  the  stripes  of  affliction  are  dealt  to 
those  whom  God  has  called  into  His  great  school  of 
work  for  souls,  it  is  manifestly  to  give  them  new  faculty 
in  their  calling.  They  needed  to  see  deeper  down  into 
their  own  hearts,  and  thus  into  the  hearts  of  others. 
Oh !  how  many  a  sorrow  of  the  jioor  may  we  have 
striven  to  comfort,  while  their  experiences  have  told 
them  that  we  stood  outside  it !  But  the  great  leveller, 
Death,  has  admitted  us  now  into  an  inner  circle  of 
fellowship  with  the  human  family  '' born  unto  trouble."" 
While  he  paints  eye  and  cheek  with  his  solemn 
purples ;  while  he  plucks  away  the  fibres  intertwined 
with  our  own  being — whether  of  a  loving  infancy, 
childhood,  youth,  or  age ;  and  when  we  feel  that  all 


"GONE  HOME."  231 

the  past  has  its  fairest  threads  rent  out  of  it  through 
a  present  loss  ;  then  by  a  succession  of  silent  surprises 
do  we  learn  what  others  felt,  and  how  little  we  could 
before  feel  with  them. 

"  Perfect  through  suffering — is  this  the  path 
My  Saviour  trod  ? 
And  shall  I  shrink  to  follow  Thee, 
Thou  Lamb  of  God?" 

"Made  like  unto  His  brethren  "  that  He  might  know 
how  to  walk  with  His  people  through  every  "burning 
fiery  furnace"  of  their  human  woes,  truly  He  can 
also  lift  their  hearts  to  rejoice  in  the  fellowship  of  His 
sufferings — to  pass  under  the  rod,  and  rejoice  in  it. 

To  the  children  of  light,  whatever  be  their  harrowing 
pangs,  the  strength  to  bear  them  comes  with  tliem — 
and  no  otherwise  can  be  born  fresh  powers  and  forces  of 
love  and  resignation.  We  knew  not  until  now  how  it 
would  be  possible  to  follow  that  dear  child's  prophetic 
monition,  "Eejoice  in  it," — "rejoicing  in  tribulation/' 
if  tribulation  be  the  will  of  God  concerning  us.  Would 
aught  save  submission  in  the  parents  be  an  adequate 
result  of  their  long  sad  study  of  the  death-lesson,  the 
life-lesson  learned  beside  that  bed  ? 

"  My  Jesus,  as  Thou  wilt. 
Oh  !  may  Thy  will  be  mine  !  " 

Their  beloved  learned  it  ere  they  did.  The  young 
believer  outstripped  her  elders ;  and  now  that  the 
word  of  the  Lord  is  manifest  and  is  "  done,"  the  cold 
stream  forded,  and  for  ever,  and  the  prayer  of  the 
Saviour   answered,  "Father,  I  will  that  this   suficrcr 


232  "GONE  HOME." 

be  with  me  where  I  am/'  a  celestial  convoy  has  guarded 
the  spirit  to  the  land  that  is  "  far  better ; "  while  the 
peaceful  countenance  fanned  by  their  departing  wings 
sank  away  from  all  traces  of  woe  into  its  statue-like  re- 
pose— first  reflecting  for  an  instant  a  gleam  of  that  glor^ 
which  broke  on  the  death-strife  from  its  eternity  of  joy 
beyond.  And  if  to  sympathise  with  sufferers,  to  prove 
the  strength  of  Christ,  and  to  rejoice  in  tribulation, 
"  continuing  instant  in  prayer,"  are  the  appointed  les- 
sons for  a  day  of  trouble  ;  we  also  find  that  for  the  sake 
of  the  one  "gone  before,"  we  must  aim  to  comfort 
fellow-mourners  with  the  comfort  wherewith  we  have 
been  comforted  of  God — aim  also  to  win  souls  to 
Christ's  work.  For  this  alone  is  it  worth  while  to 
gather  ourselves  up  from  sorrowing  in  that  vacant 
room — over  that  empty  chair.  It  is  of  none  avail  to 
suffer  memory  to  dwell  so  painfully  on  those  last  ex- 
haustions and  convulsions,  the  ebbings  and  the  faint- 
ings  of  mortality  now  "  swallowed  up  of  life."  So  to 
those  who  have  like  ourselves  received  the  message  of 
a  great  sorrow,  we  turn  especially  in  seeking  for  those 
softened  hearts  which  will  be  meet  for  the  requirements 
of  our  mission  work  and  of  these  times. 

Mothers — weeping  for  your  children — and  like 
Kachel  of  old  refusing  to  be  comforted  because  they 
are  not !  do  you  love  to  have  memorials  of  them  in 
every  place  that  they  inhabited?  The  human  heart 
is  very  various  in  the  demonstrations  of  its  grief, 
To  some  the  flower  they  planted,  and  the  books  they 
loved  and  marked,  and  many  another  token,  awaken 


"GONE  HOME."  283 

ever  and  only  a  fresh  passion  of  blinding  tears  ;  while 
others,  dififerently  moulded,  love  to  multiply  at  every 
turn,  while  their  own  life  lasts,  the  hidden  associations 
which  shall  speak  to  them  of  their  departed.  These 
are  soothed  by  the  grave,  calm,  angel  statuette,  with  the 
white  robe  and  the  palm  ; — by  the  clock  that  told  the 
last  hours  to  the  dying  eyes,  ere  time  gave  them  up  to 
eternity.  The  long,  soft,  treasured  ringlet  of  their  hair, 
— the  similitude,  though  so  far  below  what  is  remem- 
bered of  the  face  transformed  in  the  last  weeks  of 
its  mortality,  when  the  glory  of  the  coming  life  was 
transfused  into  it, — even  the  daisy  root  from  the  turt 
that  fringes  their  quiet  grave, — we  must  have  our  still 
hours  to  muse  over  these.  But  they  are  only  tokens 
to  bid  us  go  forward  on  our  shortened  way  rejoicing — 
yes,  "  rejoicing."  Is  that  possible  ?  It  is ;  though 
the  young,  strong,  sunshiny  spirit  has  left  our  side — 
which  we  thought  should  have  made  our  future  fresh 
and  bright  as  in  the  days  of  our  youth.  It  was 
trained  under  the  rays  of  the  Sun  of  righteousness,  and 
it  is  gone  to  bask  for  ever  in  Christ's  presence.  We  can 
rejoice  that  our  loss  adds  another  to  that  throng ;  we 
can  rejoice  that  we  have  work  in  hand  for  the  Lord  in 
which  we  find  more  joy  than  even  aforetime  ;  Christ 
and  His  work  can  fill  up  the  blank  in  the  soul ;  and 
now  we  understand  as  never  we  did  before  what  it  is 
to  be  "baptized  into  His  death." 

Yes,  let  the  Lord's  children  rejoice  in  the  baptism 
of  suff'ering ;  it  is  higher  than  the  baptism  of  water, 
-w^hich  is  the  appointed  sign  of  entrance  into  the  life 


234  "  GONE  HOME." 

which  is  in  Christ— "the  cleansing  of  regeneration,  and 
the  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  The  Christian  often 
waits  long  for  his  baptism  byfire— the  baptism  which  the 
Lord  promised  to  the  sons  of  Zebedee.  "  The  fire  shall 
try  every  man's  work  of  what  sort  it  is."  If  in  what 
are  commonly  called  works  of  usefulness,  your  labours 
concern  the  body  alone,  or  the  body  first,  it  will  be  as 
wood,  hay,  and  stubble,  in  the  day  of  the  Lord's  ap- 
pearing— it  will  end  at  the  arrival  of  that  day.  But  if 
you  have  known  the  fellowship  of  Christ's  sufferings,  the 
fruit  will  be  a  longing  after  the  souls  of  the  poor,  and 
care  of  their  bodies  for  their  souls  sakes.  In  whatever 
measure  we  may  have  been  called  to  know  what  it  is 
to  "  crucify  the  flesh  with  its  affections "  for  Christ's 
sake; — at  the  foot  of  the  cross  we  shall  receive  the 
message,  "good  tidings  of  great  joy"  to  a  perishing 
world.     We  have  to  carry  this  message, 

"Take  up  the  torch  and  wave  it  wide," 

and  we  can  do  so  only  as  we  have  received  it  for  our- 
selves. If  we  have  proved  His  power  to  sustain  us  and 
our  departed  when  we  came  together  to  the  banks  of 
Jordan, — 

"  If  we  felt  Him  near,  when  the  feet 
Were  slipping  over  the  brink," 

— then  we  must  witness  what  Christ  can  be  in  such  an 
hour — we  must  live  to  tell  it  to  those  who  know  Him 
not.  How  many  names,  mourning  mothers !  may  be 
written  by  your  means,  by  the  side  of  a  lost  child,  in 
the  Lamb's  book  of  life  ! 

The  deep  heart  of  woman  has  been  compared  to 
a  mill-stone, — it  must  grind;  and  if  it  grinds  upon 


"GONE  HOME."  2S''} 

itsulf,  or  on  some  deep  grief  and  stationary  angnish — 
on  the  idea  of  some  dear  form,  gone,  missing,  vanished  ; 
and  if  the  process  of  the  parting  is  in  thought  repeated 
o'er  and  o'er  again,  the  heart  wears  itself  out  with 
suffering ;  and  you  may  read  this  in  many  a  face, 
which  is  its  index.  Might  we  hope  that  to  a  few  such 
grieving  hearts  we  may  have  delivered  the  message, 
"Eejoice  in  it !  "  Whatever  the  separation,  it  was  the 
Lord's  will  ;  and  if  you  are  the  Loed's  child, 
"rejoice  in  it."  Be  that  your  motto  now,  till  your  lost 
one  meets  you  at  the  gates  of  death,  and  ushers  you  to 
heaven. 

Do  w^e  feel  that  a  thick,  dark  veil  is  come  down 
between  us  and  those  once  our  own  ?  Even  so  ;  they 
are  walking  with  their  Eedeemer  on  the  other  side ; 
but  they  are  often  very  near  to  us.  In  Eev.  vii.  1 4,  we 
are  told  that  those  wdiose  robes  are  made  white  in  the 
blood  of  the  Lamb,  "serve  God  day  and  night  in  His 
temple."  We  read  elsewhere  of  "  ministering  spirits, 
sent  forth  to  minister  for  those  who  shall  be  heirs  of 
salvation."  It  is  said  in  Heb.  xii,  22,  23,  that  we  are 
come  to  "the  innumerable  company  of  angels,"  and 
also  to  "the  spirits  of  the  just  made  perfect."  The 
latter  are,  according  to  St  Paul,  Heb.  xi.  and  xii.,  "the 
great  cloud  of  witresses"  of  that  "race"  v/hich  those 
still  in  the  flesh  are  exhorted  patiently  to  run. 

Perhaps  they  wonder  at  nothing  so  much  as  our 
grief  that  they  have  attained  the  goal — 

"  Young  with  the  youth  of  angels,  wise  with  the  growth  of  years, 
Thev  miv'vel  at  our  mortal  weeks— the  weeks  we  spend  in  tears. 


236  "  GONE  HOME." 

For  they  have  pass'd  that  space  in  heaven,  those  weeks  without 

a  sin; 
Their  robes  made  white  in  Jesu's  blood,  all  glorious  within. 

"  And  in  such  space,  unto  what  height,  their  souls  set  free  have 
grown ; 
Loving,  as  they  are  loved  by  God ;  knowing,  as  they  are  known. 
Yet,  in  that  world,  they  're  caring  still,f  or  those  they  loved  in  this. 
The  rich  man  did  in  torments,  and  shall  not  they  in  bliss  ? 
For  sitting  at  the  Saviour's  feet,  and  gazing  in  His  face, 
Surely  they  have  not  there  unlearn'd  one  gentle  human  grace." 

Therefore  when  we  enter  daily  into  our  closet,  and  shut 
our  door  on  all  human  voices,  they  are  possibly  per- 
mitted to  write  for  us,  on  the  dark  veil  we  spoke  of,  in 
characters  of  light,  some  comforting  words  of  Holy 
Scripture  that  never  so  comforted  us  before.  Yes, 
every  day,  if  we  look  for  it,  some  fresh  promise  will  be 
gleaming  out  there,  fulfilled  in  our  experience.  A  fresh 
door  is  opened  into  heaven  daily.  It  was  open  before,  for 
we  knew  that  Jesus  had  said,  ''I  am  the  door,"  but  we 
scarcely  realised  it  till  that  cherished  one  entered  in. 

Had  they  begun,  or  did  they  long  to  begin,  some 
work  for  Christ  on  earth  ?  Then  is  the  thread  of  life 
not  snapped — it  has  only  passed  through  the  veil; 
and  if  even  the  mourner  left  beliiiKl  learns  so  much  in 
her  first  month  of  sorrow  concerning  the  unseen  and 
invisible,  what  must  be  the  unfolding  and  expanding 
of  the  spirit  gone  before  ? 

True  human  loneliness  is  only  found  in  living  apart 
from  God  and  His  work.  When  those  we  love  enter 
His  presence,  we  go  with  them  to  the  edge  of  their 
immortality,  and  on  earth  we  set  up  their  grave-stones, 


"GONE  HOME.  237 

almost  every  one  of  wliicli  has  its  answering  inscription 
on  some  sorrowing  human  heart,  cut  deep  into  its  sur- 
face by  the  Heavenly  Sculptor.  But  the  message  of  a 
great  sorrow  is  not  answered  unless  we  set  up  other 
memorials  of  the  loved  and  lost  than  grave-stones,  and 
dedicate  some  LiFE-woEK  for  their  sake — some  work 
that  will  live  beyond  the  tomb.  It  has  been  said  that 
"  the  infinite  ocean  of  human  woes  makes  every  idle 
moment  in  a  Christian's  life  guilt  in  the  sight  of  God." 
Suppose  all  the  pious  and  sorrowful  women  in  the 
world  believed  this,  and  were  to  look  round  for  a  field 
of  their  own  in  which  they  might  win  souls  to  Christ. 
Riches  may  have  fled — home — even  health — but  this 
space  for  a  labour  of  love  remains. 

Their  great  sorrow  or  loss  may  have  clouded  all  the 
happiness  of  life  as  far  as  it  depends  on  surrounding 
circumstances ;  and  if  they  had  been  nurtured  in  the 
Church  of  Rome,  they  might  have  turned  to  a  convent 
for  refuge  from  their  grief.  But  a  convent  has  its 
rules  and  occupations,  and  why  should  the  care  of  the 
poor,  of  the  young,  of  the  sick,  or  the  aged,  belong 
only  to  Sisters  of  Charity  in  the  Church  of  Rome? 
The  women  of  that  Church  have  done  more  for  her 
than  her  priests ;  but  has  not  the  universal  Church  of 
Christ  need  of  the  work  of  women  also  ?  and  of  women 
who  can  give  their  life  to  it  ? — not  shut  u-p  within  any 
four  walls — not  shut  out  from  the  refinements  and  re- 
freshings of  occasional  change  of  scene  and  society, 
but  shut  in  to  a  single  and  simple  aim  and  purpose--  - 
to  live  for  Christ,  and  to  win  souls  to  Him. 


238  "  GONE  HOME." 

When  this  purpose  is  once  formed  in  our  hearts, 
around  our  feet  lies  woman's  work,  in  some  shape  or 
other,  and  we  need  not  go  far  to  seek  it ;  indeed,  it  will 
often  speedily  come  to  us  in  answer  to  fervent  prayer. 

The  larger  number  of  our  Bible-women  have,  we 
feel,  been  sent  us  by  God  after  His  training  in  the 
school  of  affliction.  We  need  fellow-workers  with  them 
from  the  same  school  and  from  the  Upper  Classes,  who 
should  be  known  as  Bible-ladies,  as  distinctly  as  their 
forerunners.  Their  aifectionate,  and  lucid,  and  simple 
teaching  of  the  narratives  and  biographies  of  Scripture 
will  be  preferred  by  the  poor  to  all  other  reading. 

Let  us  seek  first  that  "  unction  from  the  Holy  One," 
for  ourselves,  which  shall  anoint  us  to  the  work,  and 
then  those  gifts  of  the  Spirit  which  shall  fit  us  for  the 

SERVICE  OF  THE  WORD. 

We  want  women  well  taught  in  the  Scriptures,  dear 
friends,  young  and  old,  coming  forth  from  our  happy 
Christian  homes  to  shepherd  the  lost  sheep  of  their 
own  sex,  who  have  stumbled  on  the  dark  mountains. 
They  are  blind  with  the  mists  of  heathen  ignorance, 
weary  with  the  rough  road  of  life,  and  they  are  now 
many  of  them  thirsting  for  the  living  streams  which 
your  life  of  leisure  has  long  sufiered  you  to  sit  beside, 
and  which  have  sprung  up  in  your  daily  path  within 
the  fold.  May  God  give  you  grace  to  minister  to  them 
this  cup  of  cold,  flowing  water  !  Arise  and  minister  it 
— how  short  may  be  your  time  to  do  so  1  What  else  is 
so  much  worth  doing  ? 


CHAPTER  X 


Look  your  disadvantages  in  the  face,  and  see  what  can  be  made 
out  of  them." 


"  Ovr  failures  are  worked  into  the  texture  of  the  Eternal  plans, 
which  cannot  fail  and  never  falter." 


We  trust  that  it  is  with  a  feeling  further  removed  than 
ever  from  gratulation  to  our  personal  selves,  that  those 
occupied  in  "Bible  and  Domestic  Female  Missions" 
present  their  store  of  four  years'  fruits  before  the  Lord 
in  thanksgiving  to  His  holy  name.  Not  their  fruits, 
His  fruits.  He  sent  them  forth  to  sow  the  seed — His 
seed — the  incorruptible  seed  of  His  Word — and  in  so 
doing  has  guided  them  to  the  happiness  of  following 
in  His  steps,  for  "  He  came  to  seek  and  to  save  that 
which  was  lost." 

In  the  Rector  of  St  Giles's  annual  address  to  his 
"Friends  and  Parishioners"  for  the  present  year  1881, 
he  gives  the  following  valuable  testimony,  which  we 
quote  because  it  serves  us  better  than  any  summing  up 
of  our  own  results  of  labour.  We  only  change  the 
figures  that  relate  to  our  work  as  now  made  up  to  the 
20th  May  of  the  same  year.  Amid  the  note  he  takes 
of  the  other  active  and  successful  evangelising  work 
conducted  by  his  own  parochial  staff  in  St  Giles's,  he 
adds : — 

"  Of  the  Bible  and  Domestic  Female  Mission  I  seem 
always  to  have  sometiiing  to  say.     Unprecedented  in 


242  THE  SCHOOL  OF  MISTAKES. 

ourselves  to  tell  them  why  "  Marian's  "  reports  are  not 
now  continued,  and  why  St  Giles's  is  identified  with 
her  name  only  in  that  first  year.  She  began  to  visit 
in  the  summer  of  1857,  and  in  June  1858,  as  is  men- 
tioned in  page  190  of  the  "Missing  Link/'  had  a 
severe  illness,  apparently  caused  by  the  poison  of  bad 
smells  in  a  certain  house  in  Dudley  Street,  wliich  we 
soon  afterwards,  and  at  considerable  expense,  redeemed 
from  its  vile  estate  and  turned  into  a  Giels'  Dor- 

MITOKY. 

In  the  autumn  of  1858,  some  friends  were  convers- 
ing with  Marian,  in  a  Bible  Mission-eoom  in  the 
house  above  named,  on  their  designs  for  the  poor  Work- 
ing Girls,  whom  they  wished  to  rescue  from  their  parents' 
over-crowded  rooms. 

The  fittings  of  the  house  were  just  completed. 
Marian  had  never  known  before  what  it  was  to  have 
a  house  to  furnish ;  she  had  never  had  more  than  one 
room ;  and  it  is  not  easy  to  conceive  the  pleasure  with 
which,  conferring  with  her  Lady,  she  had  made  cheap 
bargains  for  good  and  useful  things,  one  after  another. 
Every  form  and  fender  had  its  history ;  every  plate 
and  every  teapot ;  how  she  promised  herself  to  teach 
the  girls  to  keep  them  clean !  The  nice  cocoa-nut-fibre 
mattresses  to  the  twenty  little  iron  bedsteads  ;  tho  flock 
beds,  and  the  warm  brown  blankets ;  the  making  of 
tliC  linen;  and  the  care  of  each  possession  as  it  came 
in.  She  meant  with  her  own  eyes  and  hands  "  to  sec 
to  everything."  And  our  faith  that  she  would,  in  tliat 
day  of  early  experiment,  we  own,  was  scarcely  sliaken 


THE  SCHOOL  OF  MISTAKES.  243 

by  a  misgiving  if  she  could,  in  connexion  with  her 
Bible-mission.  ''Let  her  but  once  get  settled,"  she 
said,  "and  all  would  go  smoothly."  She  had  left  her  sick 
husband  at  Eamsgate,  under  comfortable  care,  till  she 
could  tend  him  herself  in  her  own  "  matron's  room " 
and  we  were  speculating  how  speedily  she  could  he 
helped  to  this  settlement,  when  suddenly  we  heard  his 
voice  upon  the  stairs. 

He  had  always  seemed,  up  to  that  period,  a  quiet, 
inoffensive,  and  much-to-be-pitied  man,  who  would  be 
active  in  getting  his  living  if  possible,  but  whose  epi- 
leptic fits  prevented  that  possibility.  We  knew  that 
they  had  weakened  his  intellect ;  we  had  often  \dsited 
him  in  his  illnesses,  and  had  heard  him  express  himself 
very  gratefully  for  the  employment  given  to  his  good 
wife,  and  his  own  consequent  freedom  from  care.  We 
shall  never  forget  our  surprise  when,  at  this  juncture, 
he  stumbled  into  the  room,  in  a  very  free-and-easy  way, 
and  evidently  in  no  pleasant  temper. 

To  our  ejaculation  of  surprise  and  displeasure  at  his 
making  his  appearance  before  he  was  sent  for,  he 
replied, — •"  A  man  had  a  right  to  come  home  to  his 
own  house,  he  supposed."  This  one  speech,  and  the 
v/ay  in  w^hich  it  was  uttered,  opened  our  eyes  at  once 
to  a  long  vista  of  vexation  and  trouble.  We  saw  in- 
stantly the  mistake  we  had  made  in  supposing  that 
IMarian,  as  his  wife,  could  be,  as  she  had  wished,  the 
resident  Matron  of  such  a  Dormitory.  The  rise  in  his 
relative  position  had  crazed  Ms  brain,  not  strong 
before. 


244  THE  SCHOOL  OF  MISTAKES. 

At  that  moment  his  folly  was  quelled  by  the  de- 
terminate answer  of, — "  Yes,  Mr  B.,  you  would  have  a 
right  if  the  house  were  your  own,  of  course ;  but  this 
house  is  not  yours,  and  you  have  no  right  to  make 
yourself  at  home  here  in  any  room  but  one,  which  is 
not  yet  ready  for  you." 

Poor  Marian  perceived  our  dismay,  and  said,  "  She 
was  sure  she  could  make  him  understand."  Alas,  alas  ! 
there  followed,  as  we  feared,  many  months  of  perpetual 
trouble  to  us,  and  of  disappointment  and  bitter  sorrow 
to  her.  Her  husband  never  lost  the  idea  that  the 
house  was  his  own,  and  that  he  was  master  in  it ;  and 
a  very  bad  master  he  made. 

It  would  have  saved  us,  and  saved  her  very  much 
grief  and  shame  on  his  account,  if  the  decisive  act  of 
iMmediately  removing  them  had  followed  on  the  first 
perception  of  how  the  matter  stood.  Another  Matroi] 
ought  to  have  been  sought  and  found,  and,  in  a  littU 
room  of  his  own  once  more,  he  might  have  recovered 
his  quiet  mind.  We  could  not  bear  to  disappoint  her 
thus.  This  house  of  refuge  had  been  her  great  ambi- 
tion, and  in  it  she  was  suffered  to  prove  her  own  weak- 
ness. She  was  afraid  to  increase  our  anxiety  by  telling 
us  of  any  more  misdemeanours  than  appeared  upon  the 
surface,  and  she  concealed  much  of  the  passionate  vio- 
lence, as  shewn  towards  herself,  that  would  have  war- 
ranted immediate  removal. 

Month  after  month  passed  away,  and  in  this  first 
Mission — once  so  prosperous — nothing  now  went  right, 
The  house  was  not  well  manaQ^ed,  and  the  Mission  ^Yas 


THE  SCHOOL  OF  MISTAKES.  245 

not  well  served;  for  no  one  individual,  even  if  un- 
fettered by  domestic  care,  could  have  compassed  the 
two  intentions.  At  last,  there  came  a  day  in  which 
admission  was  refused  to  the  Superintendent  by  the 
insane  "  Master,"  so  called ;  and  on  the  morrow,  when 
his  ejection  had  been  resolved  upon,  he  was  found  in 
agonies  upon  his  bed,  from  which  he  never  rose  again ; 
and  there,  after  ten  weeks,  he  died. 

Although  every  consideration  had  been  shewn  to 
them  during  sickness,  he  had  been  so  uncontrollable, 
and,  at  his  death,  he  left  his  wife  in  such  debt  and 
difficulty,  that  it  was  impossible  the  Mission  should 
remain  any  longer  in  the  same  hands;  and,  indeed, 
her  own  health,  both  of  mind  and  body,  had  utterly 
failed  under  her  trials ;  and  a  quiet  country  life  for 
her,  with  but  little  to  do,  appeared  at  once  necessary. 
Such  a  position  was  offered  her  for  a  time  by  most 
kind  friends  in  Suffolk,  and  her  health  seemed  par- 
tially restored,  but  one  of  her  eyes  is  entirely  blind 
from  gout  in  the  head,  and  it  appears  as  if  she  would 
lose  the  other  if  any  further  demand  is  made  upon  her 
physical  or  mental  strength.  She  will  never,  therefore, 
be  fit  to  return  to  London.  The  testimony  of  two  medi- 
cal friends  indicates  that  she  is  precluded  by  infir- 
mity from  undertaking  any  matronship  or  mission 
with  multifarious  claims.  She  could  not  in  any  posi- 
tion be  now  depended  upon,  for  fulfilment  even  of  her 
own  expressed  desires.  The  firmness  and  strength  of 
purpose  which  she  shewed  in  the  first  outset  of  the 
'.voik,  to  raise  the  poor  rather  than  relieve  them,  is  a 


246  THE  SCHOOL  OF  MISTAKES. 

thing  of  the  past  with  Jier.  Too  much  of  temporal 
lielp  in  the  infancy  of  the  Mission  was  left  at  her 
disposal  and  discretion  as  a  poor  woman  ;  and  when 
a  house  taken  for  her  in  the  midst  of  the  desperate 
district  gave  her  a  visible  power  to  relieve  the  poor, 
and,  as  they  knew,  in  conjunction  with  a  husband  who 
was  so  totally  unfit  for  it — he  being  alike  despotic 
and  unreasonable  from  brain  disease — she  was  often 
threatened  by  the  worst  of  their  number  in  a  way  that 
would  have  ruined  the  Mission  for  ever  in  its  birth- 
place of  St  Giles's,  but  for  her  providential  removal  by 
entire  loss  of  health.  While  her  first  year's  work  is 
remembered,  and  it  can  never  be  forgotten,  she  cannot 
cease  to  be  the  charge  of  the  Mission,  and  she  is  now 
under  the  care  of  kind  friends  at  the  seaside. 

We  here  point  out  to  others,  for  their  benefit,  the 
rather  because  it  is  already  very  widely  known,  the 
rock  which  might  have  wrecked  our  little  vessel,  and 
in  so  doing  take  to  ourselves  a  full  share  of  the  blame 
for  whatever  was  amiss.  When  we  introduced  the 
DOEMITOEY  element  into  this  first  Mission,  and  sup- 
posed that  one  individual  could  possibly  combine  the 
>;ifices  of  Matron  and  Missionary,  it  spoiled  the  first 
work,  and  was  too  much  for  the  first  worker.  It  was 
"  Bypath  Meadows  "  in  our  pilgrimage  oT  social  pro- 
gress ;  and  when  we  hear  of  friends  in  the  country 
expecting  that  the  Bible-woman  can  be  everything — 
be  nurse  to  the  village,  cook,  and  sick- visitor  besides — 
we  reflect  upon  our  own  mistakes  in  this  way,  and 
recLir  to  the  old  lesson  of  "  doinir  one  tliino-  at  a  time." 


THE  SCHOOL  OF  I\riSTAKES.  247 

N"o  one  person  can  work  niglit  and  day  ;  and  a  Bible- 
mission  should  always  in  all  its  particulars  be  under 
the  careful  direction  and  kind  regulation  of  a  con- 
siderate Superior  in  education  and  in  station. 

Because  then  we  allowed  poor  "  Mtirian  "  to  under- 
take too  much,  and  devolved  more  responsibility  upon 
her,  according  to  her  own  wish,  than  a  poor  woman 
was  able  to  bear,  (especially  linked,  as  she  was,  to  a 
companion  in  life  who  was  not  fitted  to  share  it  with 
her  at  all,)  we  have  had  to  learn  patience  under  dis- 
appointment. Had  all  gone  well,  we  might,  perhaps, 
have  leaned  upon  an  arm  of  flesh,  and  trusted  in  our 
own  wisdom.  The  ''  link  "  is  a  true  link,  and  it  really 
was  "missing;"  but  its  value  in  the  social  chain  de- 
pends upon  its  "rivet" — on  its  continued  and  full 
relation  to  Bible-woek,  (inclusive  alike  of  the  sale 
and  reading  of  the  Scriptures  to  the  poor,)  and  on  the 
maintenance,  in  the  midst  of  necessary  temporal  ob- 
jects, of  the  primary  and  spiritual  aim  of  the  Mission 
— the  delivery  of  the  Message  fkom  God,  and  help- 
ing the  poor  outcasts  in  various  ways  to  accept  it. 

The  overpowering  welcome  given  to  the  ofler  of 
cheap  Bedding,  and  to  the  Clothing-club,  is  not  un- 
likely to  create  at  first  somewhat  of  confusion,  as  it 
iid  in  St  Giles's ;  and  for  a  time  the  spiritual  may 
Beem  to  be  swallowed  up  by  the  tide  of  success  which 
attends  the  industrial ;  but  if  alive  to  this  danger,  our 
riends  will  watch  against  it  in  all  new  Missions. 

And  yet  the  clothing  and  bedding  clubs  have  cer- 
ainly  a  work   to   do,   in  connexion  with    the    BibJe 


248  THE  SCHOOL  OF  MISTAKES. 

Missions,  in  every  wretched  street  and  court ;  for  they 
lead  to  higher  results  than  their  own.  They  prepare 
the  people  for  the  worship  of  God,  to  which  His  Book 
must  lead  them. 

The  original  club  in  Dudley  Street  did  not  decline 
under  the  new  auspices  which  it  became  necessary  to 
inaugurate  after  "  Marian  "  left.  It  soon  again  made 
from  £5  to  £6  a-week,  and  is  the  field  of  labour  of 
three  or  four  earnest  ladies,  who  have  under  their 
direction  a  well-trained  "Naomi."  There  is,  as  of 
old,  much  pecuniary  distress ;  but  i1  e  people  do  not 
beg  of  those  who  carry  on  this  Missun  among  them. 
Any  necessary  relief  comes  from  the  Ladies,  not  from 
the  Bihle-ivoman,  On  the  large  space  of  ground  which 
"  Marian "  traversed,  in  the  first  and  only  year  of 
earnest  labour  permitted  to  her,  there  are  now  six 
Bible-women.  Newport  Market  and  Drury  Lane  Imve 
their  own  "Eacher'  and  "Miriam;"  King  Street, 
Chenies  Street,  and  Parker  Street  have  their  "  Euth,"  * 
•  Drusilla,"  and  "  Amelia."  In  "  Naomi's  "  mission, 
hiring  the  year  I860,  140  copies  of  the  Scriptures 
were  sold,  and  1200  garments.  In  Euth's,  146  copies, 
and  120  garments.     In  Chenies  Street,  (just  commenc- 

*  We  may  remark,  that  it  is  still  found  convenient,  as  tlie  Bible- 
women  multiply,  to  give  them  a  Mission-name  ;  not  from  any  notion 
of  romantic  interest,  but  from  the  undesirableness  of  publishing  their 
actual  names,  and  because  it  is  found  best  that  the  Mission-name 
should  belong  to  that  especial  locality,  and  remain  attached  to  it, 
(except  in  the  one  case  of  "  Marian,")  even  if  the  woman  is  for  any 
cause  dismissed.  We  have  had  singularly  few  defections,  considering 
our  rapid  growth  in  numbers. 


THE  SCHOOIi  OF  MISTAKES.  249 

ing,)  6  copies,  and  8  garments.  In  Newport  Market, 
96  copies,  and  94  garments.  In  Parker  Street,  62 
copies,  and  51  garments.  In  Drury  Lane,  86  copies, 
and  382  garments.  Total,  536  copies  of  Scripture, 
and  1855  articles  of  clothing  or  bedding,  within  the 
precincts  of  St  Giles's : — all  this  not  interfering  with 
Mr  Thorold's  own  parochial  arrangements  for  a  large 
clothing-club,  and  sale  of  bedding  besides,  and  other 
congregational  efforts  of  a  similar  character.  In  two  of 
the  above  Mission-rooms  Mr  Thorold  takes  an  especial 
and  personal  interest,  as,  indeed,  he  continues  to  do  in 
the  whole  movement.  No  amount  of  united  effort 
seems  yet  enough  to  meet  the  need  of  those  changing 
thousands  of  poor.  Our  own  knowledge  of  their 
having  contributed  for  the  purchase  of  Holy  Scripture, 
during  the  year  1860,  £38,  15s.  7d.,  and  for  the  pur- 
chase of  clothing  and  bedding,  £248,  2s.  8d. — a  total 
payment  of  £286,  ]8s.  3d.  to  help  themselves — is  a 
cheering  proof  of  the  expansion,  and  of  the  necessity 
for  this  under-work  in  its  original  birthplace. 


The  idea  of  a  Doemitoet  for  Working  Girls  arose 
out  of  the  first  Bible  Mission  in  St  Giles's.  It  was 
supposed  that  if  a  quiet,  cheerful  home  were  provided 
for  them  in  the  centre  of  the  district,  they  would  gladly 
embrace  the  opportunity  of  escaping  from  their  own 
over-crowded  rooms.  The  experiment,  for  the  first 
vear  or  two  was  tried  under  difiSiculties,  the  Centra]^ 


250  THE  SCHOOL  OF  MISTAKES. 

MissiON-EOOM,  in  which  the  Bible-women  could  meet 
for  pastoral  exhortation  and  encouragement,  being 
necessarily  reserved  for  that  purpose  in  our  first 
small  Dormitory  for  twenty  inmates,  which  rendered 
the  undertaking  less  self-paying  than  it  would  have 
been,  while  the  rule  of  excluding  lodgers  who  were 
determined  to  sell  on  Sundays  also  limited  considerably 
the  number  of  girls. 

It  was  likewise  found  to  be  not  very  easy  to  secure 
the  right  kind  of  Matron,  on  which  the  success  of  such 
an  Institution  mainly  depends,  as  she  must  be  equally 
kind  and  firm,  and  must  of  necessity  be  entrusted  with 
much  discretionary  power.  We  have  happily  secured, 
during  the  last  six  months,  a  godly  and  sensible 
woman,  who  had  had  four  years'  previous  experience 
in  the  Poplar  Hospital,  where  her  ward  was  always 
remarkable  for  its  order  and  comfort. 

She  was  recommended  to  us  as  a  Bible- woman,  and 
in  order  that  she  might  take  full  and  sympathising  hold 
of  the  peculiar  class  with  which  she  would  have  to 
deal,  we  gave  her  three  months'  experience  of  Bible- 
mission  work  in  one  of  the  most  crowded  City  districts, 
and  then  gladly  accepted  her  services  as  Dormitory 
Matron,  at  the  same  salary  as  Bible- woman — 12s.  6d. 
a-week,  besides  lodging,  fire,  and  light.  She  has  from 
the  first  exercised  the  right  kind  of  influence — a  dis- 
ciplinary, but  an  afiectionate  one — over  the  wandering, 
wilful,  "untaught  girls,  many  of  whose  souls  have  been 
given  to  her. 

The  little  Dudley  Street  house  has  now  presented  for 


THE  SCHOOL  OF  MISTAKES.  251 

scnne  time  a  picture  of  plain  comfort  and  tidiness, — a 
quiet  testimony  in  a  street  that  needed  it.  Habits  of  pri- 
vate tippling  are  abolished,  and  the  matron  has  gained, 
by  her  courage  and  kindness,  the  influential  sympathy 
of  several  of  the  inmates,  acting  with  hers  for  good 
over  the  remainder.  It  is  incalculable  what  mioht  be 
effected  by  the  wise  multiplication  of  these  Girls'  Dor- 
mitories in  over-crowded  districts.  It  is  not  only  the 
blessing  of  a  quiet  night  in  a  peaceable  house  that  is 
gained,  though  that  is  much  ;  it  is  the  motherly  influ- 
ence over  them  in  their  wild  street  life  that  gradually 
civilises  them,  and  we  hope,  in  many  cases,  will  do  still 
more. 

The  double  nature  of  the  work  is  as  distinctive  in 
the  Dormitory  as  in  the  Mission,  for  the  Visiting 
Lady  is  quite  as  necessary  to  every  such  house  as  the 
Matron.  On  a  specified  day  in  every  week,  she  re- 
ceives the  rent  nightly  collected  by  the  Matron,  and 
takes  especial  interest  in  the  personal  character  of  each 
inmate.  It  is  eminently  desirable  that  she  should  hold 
Bible-classes  with  them,  and  induce  others  to  help  her 
in  this  particular.  The  features  of  this  work  fill  out, 
like  those  of  the  Domestic  Mission,  according  to  the 
time  and  love  that  are  given  to  it.  All,  however,  should 
still  be  provided  on  the  plainest  and  simplest  scale. 
The  girls  must  not  be  spoiled  for  the  rough  life  they 
necessarily  lead,  whether  as  costermongers  or  as  poor 
sempstresses. 

In  the  ''  School  of  Mistakes  "  concerning  the  general 
«"ork  of  these  Missions,  we  have  studied  the  good  old 


252  TflE  SCHOOL  OF  MISTAKES. 

lessons  of  "  doing  one  thing  at  a  time,  and  keeping  the 
right  thing  first." 

It  has  been  no  mistake  to  employ  paid  NATIVB 
AGENCY  for  missionary  work  among  the  poor  women 
of  London  ;  but  it  would  have  been  a  great  mistake  if 
it  had  not  been  minutely  regulated  and  carefully  super- 
intended. It  is  a  mistake  to  leave  the  purchase  of 
clothing  materials,  the  management  of  the  accounts,  the 
dispensation  of  relief,  or  the  guidance  of  the  Mothers' 
Class,  except  on  rare  occasions,  in  the  hands  of  the 
Bible-woman.  The  Superintending  Lady  must  do 
these  things  herself,  or  find  occasional  substitutes  from 
her  own  position  in  life.  Her  superintendence  will 
grow  into  a  "  Life-work,"  if  the  Mission  prospers  as  it 
ought ;  and  its  responsibility  should  be  in  one  hand 
and  be  borne  upon  one  heart,  even  if  certain  divided 
cares  are  undertaken  by  friends  in  departments.  One 
Lady  will  promise,  it  may  be,  to  visit  the  cases  requir- 
ing aid ;  one  will  purchase  material ;  another  take  the 
cutting-out ;  and  it  is  become  very  necessary  that  one 
Lady  should  consider  herself  Treasurer,  and  secure 
the  funds  requisite  for  the  working  of  the  Mission 
locally  as  far  as  possible,  as  a  General  fund  will  always 
be  sufficiently  absorbed  in  aiding  weak  and  destitute 
districts  and  planting  new  missions. 

Finally,  it  has  been  no  mistake,  as  some  of  our 
friends  feared  it  might  be,  to  add  to  the  delivery  of 
THE  Message  from  God,  and  to  elementary  spiritual 
teaching,  the  secularities  of  clothing  for  poor  families 
by  their  own  earnings  and  savings,  and  no  mist:!!:c  to 


THE  SCHOOL  OF  MISTAKES.  253 

help  them  to  earn  it ;  but  a  great  mistake  to  let  the 
secular  element  so  fill  up  the  Bible-woman's  time  and 
thoughts  as  to  divert  her  from  the  spiritual  things  which 
belong  to  Hee  Message,  and  from  visiting  and  pray- 
ing with  the  people  as  she  delivers  it.  It  is,  moreover, 
a  great  mistake  to  let  her  take  the  clothing  money  at 
the  homes  of  the  poor.  Her  business  is  to  bring  them 
to  the  Lady  at  the  Mission-room  to  make  those  de- 
posits, and  thus  place  themselves  within  the  reach  of 
help  for  their  souls,  as  well  as  their  bodies. 

We  feel  it  the  more  needful  to  be  candid  in  a  second 
report  of  the  results  of  experience,  because  the  agency 
represented  in  London  by  these  humble  Bible- women 
is  now  become,  we  find,  but  the  accredited  exponent 
of  a  far  wider  work  of  the  same  character,  which  is 
quietly  arising  in  many  provincial  towns  of  England. 
The  press  has  carried  the  details  of  experiments  made 
in  our  metropolis  to  Ireland  and  Scotland,  and  even  to 
other  lands,  where  the  same  want  had  been  felt  of  a 
"  Missino;  Link  "  between  evano^elisino;  work  and  those 
who  were  unreached  at  present  by  it ;  so  that  each 
efficiently  conducted  Bible  and  Domestic  Mission  in 
London  has  had  its  particular  sphere  of  influence  be- 
yond its  own  circle. 

Such  circles  may  one  day  be  world-wide.  We  are 
already  asked  to  help  to  support  one  Bible-woman  in 
Sykia,  and  another  in  Caieo  ;  while  we  have  in  hand 
£256  ready  for  Mrs  Mason's  dispensation,  when  she 
returns  with  efficient  and  educated  helpers,  to  sent 
forth  Female  Bible   Readers  over  the  mountaiiis  of 


254  THE  SCHOOL  OF  MISTAKES. 

Touiio:hoo.  Meanwhile,  when  as  women  we  have  cared 
for  the  heathendom  at  our  own  doors,  and  in  our  own 
villages,  we  shall  feel  the  truer  sympathy  for  that  be- 
yond seas. 

It  interests  us  exceedingly  at  the  Central  point  to 
receive  as  we  now  do  continual  tidings  of  the  rise  and 
success  of  our  Home  eueal  or  town  "  Bible  and  Do- 
mestic Female  Missions,"  which  profess  to  follow  our 
example,  and  also  make  a  few  mistakes  of  their  own — 
by  the  way.  We  hope  they  may  profit  by  our  confes- 
sions, and  are  always  glad  when  it  seems  possible  for 
all  parties  to  work  together,  and  not  to  isolate  these 
missions  into  the  too  distinctly  parochial  or  congre- 
gational— on  which  delicate  subject  they  will  find  a 
few  hints  in  a  further  chapter. 


CHAPTER  XL 


•For  gin-shops  and  beer-shops,  let  us  give  them  Dormitories  and 

Kitchens." 

"  Work — work — work — 

My  labour  never  flags — 
And  what  are  its  wages  ?    A  bed  of  straWj 

A  crust  of  bread,  and  rags — 
That  shatter'd  roof,  and  this  naked  floor, 

A  table — a  broken  chair — 
And  a  wall  so  blank,  my  shadow  I  thank 

For  sometimes  falling  there." 

"It  is  not  only  large  Associations  and  wealthy  Societies,  with 
vast  machinery,  that  have  won  great  things  for  the  Church  of  God. 
How  much  has  been  accomplished  by  means  of  solitary  individuals, 
single  minds  and  single  hearts,  bringing  to  bear  upon  others  the 
power  of  that  special  gift  with  which  God  has  endowed  them  for 
His  service.  Of  these  latter,  also,  io  may  be  said,  it  is  not  so 
much  by  what  they  have  themselves  performed,  as  by  the  activity 
they  have  infused  into  other  minds.  Vaughan  says  of  Schleirmacher, 
*  He  did  not  so  much  desire  to  found  a  school  as  to  stimulate  in- 
di^ -dualities."* 


Large  sums  of  money  are  often  spent  and  charitable 
labour  wasted  in  schemes  which  fail  because  they  do 
not  reach  the  class  they  were  intended  to  benefit.  The 
classes  which  the  '' Missing  Link "  work  has  hitherto 
aimed  at,  and  tended  to  help  to  help  themselves,  have 
been  chiefly  the  people  of  one  room. 

While  one  room  remains  their  only  possibility,  there 
must  be  some  sifting  from  this  room,  and  egress  from 
it  at  certain  hours. 

To  sift  out  the  young  girls  was  the  first  purpose  in 
instituting  the  experimental  Dormitory  mentioned  in 
the  last  chapter.  Before  they  can  accept  of  its  accom- 
modation it  must,  however,  come  within  their  means 
to  do  so. 

These  girls  either  earn  their  living  as  servants  in 
small  places  of  all-work — as  sellers  of  water- cresses, 
&c.,  in  the  streets — or  as  ill-paid  sempstresses,  flower- 
makers,  &c.  The  pay  of  the  first-rate  workers  of  their 
grade  is  7s.  a- week ;  but  the  more  general  average  4s. 
or  5s.,  and  their  employment  not  constant. 

In  the  most  pathetic  of  poems,  quoted  as  our  motto, 
we  had  an  undying  picture  drawn  for  us,  which  it  is 
the  »]esign  of  such  Dormitories  to  reverse.      Our  re- 

E 


258         girls'  homes  and  woman's  woek. 

searches  have  brought  us  acquainted  with  many  such  a 
lodging,  at  the  rent  of  3s.  a- week ;  and  if  the  rent  is  to 
be  honestly  paid,  the  day's  work  must  be  often  eked 
out  by  burning  the  candle  far  into  the  night,  to  keep 
body  and  soul  together.  No  time  for  making  or  mend- 
ing their  own  garments  ;  that  must  be  done  on  Sunday 
— ere  they  can  stretch  their  weary  limbs  for  a  walk  even 
once  in  the  week.  Their  general  food  is  a  small  piece 
of  meat,  or  a  boiled  egg,  purchased  as  they  go  to  their 
work — which,  with  the  universal  cup  of  tea,  is  their 
daily  dietary.  Is  it  to  be  wondered  at  that  month 
after  month  of  no  comfort  and  no  home  drives  them 
either  to  drink  or  to  forget  their  misery — in  the  haunts 
of  pleasure  which  lead  to  their  ruin  ?  There  are  far 
lower  depths  also  than  these.  The  sister  of  "Poor 
Sarah,"  mentioned  in  our  second  chapter,  makes  four 
chemises  of  the  usual  size  for  6d.,  and  has  to  give  1  Jd. 
for  thread.  She  receives  this  pay  from  a  woman  who 
has  the  work  from  some  one  else,  and  is  bound  down 
by  that  woman  not  to  work  at  the  Mothers'  Meetings 
of  our  Bible  Missions. 

A  young  woman,  who  was  in  the  Field  Lane  Eefuge, 
when  going  to  be  paid  for  her  work,  received  2d.  for 
making  a  smock  frock  which  had  taken  her  all  day; 
she  left  it,  saying  she  could  starve  without  such  pay 
as  well  as  with  it. 

Is  it  not  time  that  effort  became  general  to  better 
the  condition  of  our  poor  needle-slaves,  and  that  it  were 
made  by  women  ?  We  had  often  perceived  the  necessity 
of  supplying  the  inmates  of  our  little  home  with  sup- 


GIELS    HOI\IES  AND  WOMAN'S  WORK.  259 

pigmentary  em  j)loyinent,  to  enable  them  to  pay  for  their 
lodging,  but  it  liad  hitlierto  been  impossible  to  arrange 
a  work-room  in  our  first  house ;  we  had  also  so  many 
requests,  that  would  not  be  refused,  to  give  temporary 
shelter  to  the  class  of  unfortunates  who  were  always 
being  rescued  by  the  Bible-women  and  the  City  mis- 
sionaries, that  the  removal  of  our  other  inmates  to  a 
new  home  had  become  imperative  at  the  same  moment 
that  it  also  became  possible. 

The  following  is  the  history  of  a  fresh  endeavour  in 
this  direction  :  — 

On  the  5th  of  June  1861,  at  four  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, in  the  crowded  heart  of  old  St  Giles's,  once  in 
the  fields,  there  were  met  in  two  recently  erected  and 
spacious  rooms,  because  one  would  not  contain  them  all, 
an  assembly  of  500  people,  partly  composed  of  Bible- 
women  and  their  Ladies,  with  an  addition  of  not  a 
few  clerical  and  other  friends.  More  than  300  of  the 
audience  had  a  claim  to  be  there  as  practically  engaged 
in  working  out  the  principle  described  in  the  "  Missing- 
Link."  The  rest  came  by  invitation,  as  the  personal 
friends  and  supporters  of  individual  Missions  or  of 
the  work  in  general. 

The  meeting  was  primarily  a  devotional  one,  for 
each  heart  thirsted  to  express  its  grateful  praise  that 
it  had  been  permitted  to  aid  in  this  so  great  a  work  of 
the  Lord.  It  was  unique  in  its  character,  comprising 
all  grades  of  society,  from  the  daughters  of  England's 
noblest  families,  who  graced  the  upper  room,  and  her 
educated  and  honourable  middle  classes,  to  the  poor 


260  girls'  homes  and  woman's  work. 

Bible-women  in  the  lower  one,  many  of  whom  had 
once  known  what  it  was  to  be  starved  in  cellars  and 
garrets,  as  sempstresses  and  saleswomen,  but  who  had 
now  been  invited  to  labour,  by  the  side  of  their 
more  favoured  sisters,  in  a  high  and  glorious  calling, 
the  SERVICE  OF  God's  holy  Word — to  sell  it,  to  read 
it,  to  teach  its  first  elements  to  the  outcasts — to  carry 
its  "  message  from  God ''  to  those  who  had  not  been 
brought  into  Christ's  fold  by  former  agencies  for  good 
— and  to  see  all  temporal  benefits  spring  up  in  the 
train  of  the  Mission. 

No  speakers  had  been  invited  to  describe  this  Mis- 
sion to  that  company,  for  all  those  assembled  already 
well  understood  it.  There  was  no  room  for  human 
praise ;  we  believe  there  was  not  a  true  worker  there, 
from  the  first  to  the  most  recently  enlisted,  who  would 
not  have  felt  hurt  and  humbled  in  being  separated 
from  the  greatness  of  her  object  by  any  individual 
mention,  the  best  experience  of  each  having  deeply 
taught  her  that  it  was  the  Lord's  work,  not  hers,  and 
that  if  any  glory  were  given,  save  to  Him,  His  presence 
might  depart. 

Yet  they  were  met  for  praise  and  prayer,  thankful 
for  this  visible  centre  of  a  fresh  phase  of  effort  to  seek 
and  save  the  lost.  The  rejoicing  of  their  hearts  was 
expressed  in  the  evergreen  wreaths  and  floral  decora- 
tions of  their  new  Mission-room,  and  in  their  motto, 
formed  in  small  box-leaves,  and  stellaria — 

"  Hitherto  the  Lord  hath  helped  us.* 


GIELS'  HOMES  AND  WOMAN  S  WORK.  261 

'*  We  track  our  Master's  steps,  and,  if  mid  thorns  we  go, 
Still  sometimes  here  and  there  let  a  few  roses  blow." 

And  as  the  eye  glanced  over  the  general  array,  it  was 
pleasant  to  think  how  these  roses  had  sprung  np  in  the 
wilderness. 

Wilderness-like  indeed  was  the  locality  when  we 
entered  on  its  possession.  At  a  time  when  our  increas- 
ing numbers  and  expanding  relations  to  friends  afar 
off  absolutely  required  some  spacious  place  of  monthly 
meeting,  it  has  been  provided  for  us  just  as  we  needed 
it.  Eighteen  months  since,  a  lady  resident  in  the  west 
of  England  wrote  to  offer  us  the  use  of  a  large  old 
dilapidated  shed,  behind  some  small  lodging-houses  in 
Parker  Street,  Little  Queen  Street,  if  it  could  be  of 
any  service  to  the  Mission.  The  first  Eagged  Schools 
began  their  existence  in  similar  places.  We  did  not  see 
the  way  open  then  to  any  extra  expenses  or  anxieties, 
and  merely  declined  the  offer  at  the  time  with  thanks. 
A  few  months  afterwards  it  was  repeated,  and  we  went 
to  see  the  place.  Originally,  perhaps,  a  forge,  and  pos- 
sibly in  the  midst  of  meadows,  it  had  passed  through 
its  chapters  of  changeful  London  history,  and  had  last 
contained  an  oven  and  machinery  for  fabricating  the 
pies  of  doubtful  origin  that  too  often  feed  the  poor. 
The  day  of  inspection  was  gloomy  and  dingy,  and  the 
very  bricks  and  old  wood  of  the  buildings  in  the  small 
court-yard  were  rotting  with  filth  and  damp.  All 
space  is  valuable  in  St  Giles's,  but  this  seemed  totally 
unavailable  without  a  large  outlay  of  money ,  and 
when  it  is  remembered  how  our  Missions  have  arisen, 


262  GIRLS*  HOMES  AND  WOMAN'S  WOER. 

as  it  were,  without  hand,  and  without  capital  in  reserve, 
supported  only  by  what  God  sends  to  us  one  week  to 
spend  the  next,  it  will  not  be  wondered  at  that  we  gave 
answer  once  more,  that  the  charge  of  the  Missions  was 
sufficient,  without  adding  to  them  that  of  bricks  and 
mortar. 

Such  was  the  wiklerness  ! 

Though  we  knew  it  not,  the  Lord  had  pointed  out 
the  spot,  and  He  soon  prepared  the  builder.  A  Chris- 
tian friend,  not  long  after  this,  called  upon  us  to  see 
the  little  Dormitory-house  in  Dudley  Street,  St  Giles's, 
to  the  support  of  which  he  had  largely  and  kindly 
contributed.  In  discussing  the  finances  of  that  exj^eri- 
mental  Institution,  the  remark  was  made,  that  a  house 
that  could  receive  fifty  would  be  rendered  self-support- 
ing, if  there  were  no  first  outlay  in  building.  He 
expressed  the  wish  to  see  a  Girls'  Dormitory  of  such 
size  provided,  if  possible,  and  a  visit  to  the  Dudley 
Street  house,  and  to  the  old  shed,  confirmed  his  desire. 
He  was  going  the  next  week  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  place 
where  the  lady  who  made  the  ofi"er  resided,  and  a  few 
weeks  afterwards  returned  to  London,  with  arrange- 
ments concluded,  to  make  the  ground  his  own  for 
ninety  years,  inclusive  of  the  small  lodging-houses 
encircling  the  court-yard. 

It  was  now  agreed  that  if  in  this  locality  our 
kind  friend  was  willing  to  erect  a  plain  building  suited 
to  our  purpose,  our  Mission  should  be  under  no  money 
responsibility  for  the  erection.  We  could  only  pay  a 
moderate  rent  for  our  Mission-room,  and  engage  to  fill 


girls'  homes  and  woman's  work.  2G3 

the  house  and  superintend  it.  The  winter  passed  away, 
and  step  by  step,  as  a  really  cheaper  plan  than  altering 
and  cleansinnr  three  little  old  houses,  there  has  arisen  a 
new  and  very  convenient  house,  containing  six  good- 
sized  sleeping-rooms,  a  matron's  room,  kitchen  for  the 
house  occupants,  Industrial  Kitchen,  and  the  large 
Workroom  and  Mission-room  above  it.  These  apart- 
ments surround,  as  we  indicated,  a  small  paved  court- 
yard, to  which,  on  the  said  5th  of  June,  after  their  hour 
of  prayerful  dedication  of  the  Bible  Mission-room 
above.  Lord  Shaftesbury  and  his  friends  descended,  for 
a  word  with  the  assembled  Bible- women  in  the  work- 
room, who  had  their  garlands  and  ilieir  speakers  also, 
and  then  he  declared  the  building  open. 

His  Lordship  knows  so  thoroughly  his  well-beloved  St 
Giles's  that  he  will  not  w^onder  at  a  word  from  without, 
heard  by  one  of  the  returning  company  in  passing  up  the 
dingy,  narrow  Parker  Street.  "  Well,  I  heerd  they  was 
having  a  kick-up  at  the  schools  this  arternoon.  I  'spose 
the  great  uns  is  come  down  to  amuse  theirselves." 

The  satire  is  rather  hard,  St  Giles's,  upon  your  friends 
of  St  James's,  and  they  must  try  not  to  deserve  it ;  but 
the  poor  do  think  so,  dear  friends,  of  all  efforts  to  mend 
or  change  them,  short  of  an  earnest  aim  to  bring  their 
souls  to  Christ.  They  are  very  sharp-sighted,  and  they 
soon  discern  motives  ;  and  if  they  think  the  "  great  uns  " 
undertake  to  mend  them  or  their  habits,  or  their  lodging, 
merely  for  want  of  something  to  do  in  their  leisure 
moments,  they  scoff  at  the  endeavour,  and  resolve  to 
abide  by  their  dirt. 


264         girls'  homes  and  woman's  work. 

The  new  house  in  Parker  Street  will,  however,  we 
trust,  soon  speak  for  itself,  and  silently  prove  to  be  a 
school  of  domestic  example,  closely  connected  with  The 
Book  and  its  Mission  to  the  Dens.  How  that  has  been 
accepted  our  readers  are  aware.  A  few  statistics  were 
read  later  in  the  evening,  specially  concerning  the  Dor- 
mitory feature  of  this  Mission,  which  we  will  here  quote 
for  the  sake  of  those  who  did  not  hear  them. 

"  We  may  in  this  our  new  house  fairly  hope  to  carry 
out  our  earnest  desire  of  civilising  the  young  women 
of  the  poor  operative  and  sempstress  class,  who  will 
avail  themselves  of  our  teaching.  As  2s.  a- week  is 
asked  for  rent  from  each  inmate,  the  opportunity  will 
be  given  to  earn  at  least  Qd.  on  the  premises  towards 
it,  by  scrubbing  or  by  needle- work — chiefly  the  making 
of  bed-ticks,  which,  when  filled  with  flock,  we  shall  sell 
to  other  Missions  at  the  price  of  7s.  6d.  each.  This 
will  be  self -paying,  inclusive  of  their  fabrication. 

The  influence  of  a  Bible  Mission  will  still  be  pre- 
served in  this  house  by  the  Scripture  Classes  and  Mothers' 
Meetings ;  and  a  large  weekly  Clothing-Club  will  hold 
its  meetings  in  the  room  below,  to  which  the  inmates  of 
the  Dormitory  will  have  access  if  they  please. 

They  will  be  able  to  obtain  clothing,  and  make  it  for 
themselves,  as  cheaply  as  possible,  while  we  hope  that  an 
equally  improving  influence  will  be  exercised  by  the 
Industrial  Kitchen  on  their  choice  of  food,  and  their 
mode  of  preparing  it.  Those  who  are  engaged  in  work 
)at  of  the  house  can  order  daily,  as  they  pass  the  matron's 
window,  the  dinner  for  which  they  can  pay,  while  from 


GIELS'  HOMES  AND  WOMAN'S  WOEK.  265 

twelve  to  one  o'clock,  dinners  will  be  served  out,  under 
the  superintendence  of  two  Ladies,  to  tlie  holders  of 
tickets,  to  be  supj^lied  to  the  poor  by  subscribers,  and 
distributed  through  the  Bible-women,  or  Scripture- 
readers,  or  Missionaries.  Two  girls  at  a  time,  either 
from  our  Dormitory  or  from  the  neighbouring  schools, 
will  be  able  to  earn  rent  and  food  for  the  week  by 
giving  assistance  in  this  kitchen,  where  they  will  be 
taught  both  cooking  and  kitchen-work  under  a  good 
cook,  who  undertakes  the  situation  as  a  Christian 
woman,  with  this  design  of  daily  teaching.  We  look 
for  the  whole  of  the  present  undertaking  to  be  self- 
paying,  if  the  house  fills  ;  but  we  need  help  to  provide 
200  chairs  and  other  furniture  of  the  Mission-room. 

The  rule  of  not  allowing  our  lodgers  to  make  any 
sales  on  the  Sunday  will  still  be  observed,  though,  to 
meet  their  difficulty  in  this  particular,  no  rent  is 
charged  for  Sunday  night's  lodging,  and  meals  are 
provided  for  that  day  gratuitously. 

THE  RESCUE  HOUSE. 

We  have  not  given  up  our  first  house  in  Dudley 
Street.  During  the  two  years  and  a-half  we  have 
occupied  it,  we  hope  much  good  has  resulted  to  indi- 
viduals, and  now  that,  by  forsaking  our  original  Mis- 
sion-room there,  we  leave  space  for  ten  more  beds, 
thirty  girls  may  be  accommodated.  We  at  first  only 
intendetl  to  accept  steady  and  virtuous  girls  as  lodgers, 
but  so  many  of  another  class  have  been  brought  to  us 


266  GIELS'  HOMES  AND  WOMAN'S  AVORK. 

by  Missionary  friends,  that  the  association  of  the  twc 
had  become  undesirable,  and  we,  therefore,  now  intend 
to  set  our  former  premises  aj^art  for  a  Eescue  House, 
after  a  few  alterations  have  been  made  in  the  pre- 
mises. 

The  kind  readers  of  The  Book  and  its  Missions 
have  sent  us  help  for  the  Dudley  Street  Home  during 
the  two  years  and  a  half,  or  up  to  the  present  time, 
amounting  to  £499.  Repairs  and  furnishing  cost  us 
£229,  and  we  have  paid 

For  rent  and  taxes  .  .  ,  ,      £135 

Matron's  salary  and  servant  ,  ,  ,125 

Minor  expenses,  light,  fire,  and  Sunday  meals       .         109 

£369 
To  this  our  lodgers  contributed,  in  2j  years  .         1 26 

Leaving  £243  to  be  supplied,  as  it  has  been,  by  the 
donations  of  the  benevolent.  We  have  only  £27  in 
hand.  We  hope  friends  will  still  keep  this  Rescue- 
house  before  their  mind's  eye,  as  from  the  size  of  the 
house  it  cannot  become  quite  self-jKiying,  and  must 
still  depend  on  those  who  interest  themselves  in  that 
department  of  labour  for  about  £100  a-year.  Our 
charge  for  admission  to  this  house  is  Is.  a-day,  which 
includes  food  and  washing,  as  well  as  lodging.  Our 
rule  is,  that  rent  shall  be  paid  daily  by  Missionaries 
or  friends  desirous  to  snatch  those  whom  they  bring 
there,  from  a  life  of  sin,  for  the  few  days  that  may  in- 
tervene between  their  rescue  and  placing  them  in  a 
Eefuge  or  Reformatory. 


girls'  homes  and  woman's  wokk.  267 

Our  former  chapter,  entitled  "  Gone  Home,"  speaks 
a  word  from  the  world  of  the  past.  For  our  holy  dead 
all  earthly  opportunities  of  ministration  are  over ;  but 
many  of  us  feel  that  they  leave  us  a  legacy  of  work,  in 
that  wide  world  of  unsheltered  girls  and  women,  who 
must  earn  their  bread  by  day  and  have  no  evening 
abiding-place  which  can  be  called  a  '"home."  Has  not 
our  loving  Master  a  message  for  each  of  these  ?  Shall 
not  mothers  and  daughters  with  leisure,  education,  and 
wealth  deliver  it  ? 

Blessed  be  every  well-arranged  Christian  home  for 
young  women  who  are  engaged  in  houses  of  business, 
and  every  cheerful  set  of  Mission-rooms  for  their  even- 
ing reception,  where  they  shall  refresh  themselves  from 
the  toils  of  the  day,  and  learn  to  connect  the  Bible  and 
the  Home.  Their  superiors  must  meet  them  in  regular 
turns,  to  give  tone  to  their  reading,  conversation,  or 
self-teaching ;  but  this  will  involve  a  sacrifice  to  each 
lady  of  her  late  dinner-hour,  at  least  once  in  the  week 
in  which  she  may  be  appointed  to  visit.  There  are 
very  difiPerent  classes  to  be  reached  in  the  world  of 
Operatives  among  women,  as  well  as  in  the  world  of 
Outcasts.  The  Hon.  Mrs  Arthur  Kinnaird,  who  has  for 
years  taken  the  deepest  interest  in  the  general  subject 
of  such  Homes,  tells  us,  "  that  the  dressmaker  in  the 
large  West  End  establishments  is  almost  as  far  removed 
from  the  slop-worker  as  the  landed  proprietor  is  re- 
moved from  the  labourer  whom  he  employs ;  but  many 
thousands  of  these  girls  are  isolated  from  their  own 
homes  and  relatives — in  order  to  minister  to  the  wants 


268         girls'  homes  and  woman's  work. 

of  the  affluent — who  ought  to  be  brought  under  the  in- 
fluence of  Christian  teaching  and  sympathy  at  some 
time.  They  cannot,  of  course,  be  reached  during  their 
hours  of  business — the  peculiarity  of  this  work  is  that 
it  can  only  be  done  at  night  and  on  the  Sabbath.  The 
long  winter  evenings,  during  what  is  called  the  dead 
season,  are  the  harvest- time."  May  God  raise  up 
labourers  for  this  field  also,  who  shall  give  "  Life-work  " 
to  it !  It  needs  its  "  Missing  Links "  of  a  superior 
class  to  the  Bible-women,  who  shall  watch  for  oppor- 
tunities of  connecting  those  who  are  willing  to  give 
voluntary  help  with  those  who  need  to  be  taught  in 
diff'erent  localities.  And  as  this  must  be  accomplished 
by  paid  agency,  it  will  require  support  and  sympa- 
thising inspection  and  direction.  Some  of  the  young 
shop-women  must  be  instructed  in  the  very  elements 
of  knowledge — in  reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic — 
many  need  teaching  the  use  of  their  needle.  Sanitary 
science  might  be  made  simple  and  attractive  to  them, 
and  they  are  very  ignorant  of  it.  But  as  in  our  lower 
grade  of  Domestic  Missions,  all  that  bears  upon  the 
knowledge  of  the  Bible  should  be  the  first  aim  of 
Voluntary  Teachers.  Geography  and  history  can  be 
caused  to  do  this  in  the  most  profitable  manner.  The 
Message  from  God,  and  the  Mission-room  appear 
to  be  the  first  elements  of  this  work,  as  well  as  our 
own.  The  union  of  paid  and  unpaid  individual  agency 
is  quite  as  needful  to  one  aim  as  it  is  to  the  other,  and 
the  general  superintendence  of  such  Home  by  one  indivi- 
dual, who  makes  it  a  voluntary  "Life-work."  and  knits 


GIELS'  HOMES  AND  WOMAN'S  WORK.  269 

up  all  the. willing  occasional  effort  that  more  occapied 
ladies  might  yet  be  willing  to  afford  it.  The  influences 
for  good  that  may  go  forth  from  centres  like  these  are 
incalculable,  for  every  girl  who  there  becomes  truly 
converted,  will  have  impressed  upon  her  the  duty  of 
becoming  herself  a  free  missionary  to  her  compa- 
nions.* 

Four  such  institutions  are  already  established  in  the 
metropolis,  and  possibly  many  more  under  individual 
superintendence,  unknown  to  us.  Oh,  that  Ladies 
might  be  brought  to  feel  it  a  duty  to  follow  out  the  in- 
dividual histories  of  those  who  toil  so  many  hours  in  hot 
work-rooms  in  their  service — the  larger  part  of  them 
with  unsaved  souls — and  whom  none  have  taught  the 
way  to  heaven  !  How  many  of  these  are  lured  daily 
over  the  line  that  bounds  virtue  from  vice  in  an  un- 
wary moment,  while  their  more  favoured  sisters  do  no- 
thing to  prevent  their  fall.  Let  us  consider  and  build 
up  the  fences,  make  the  safe  path  easier  and  pleasanter, 
and  ask  wisdom  from  Heaven  to  do  it. 

But  to  whichever  class  it  is  directed,  we  do  think 
that  the  mark  of  true  woman's  work  for  God  in  Scripture 
and  in  life  is  its  individuality.  Her  being,  naturally 
tends  towards  the  inner  circle  of  the  "  home,"  and  all 

*  Further  particulars  of  these  Homes  and  Mission-rooms  in  Lon- 
don may  be  obtained,  by  letter,  from  the  Secretary  of  the  Central 
United  Association  for  the  Christian  and  Domestic  Improve- 
ment OF  Young  Women,  118  Pall  Mall,  S.W.,  or  by  a  personal  in- 
terview on  Mondays,  Wednesdays,  and  Fridays,  from  2  till  5  P.M.,  at 
the  same  place.  Post-Office  Orders  to  be  made  payable  to  the 
Charing  Cross  Post-Office. 


270  GIELS'  HOMES  AND  WOMAN'S  WORK. 

her  education  should  fit  her  to  make  that  home  a  nursery 
for  heaven.  When  her  energy  ranges  beyond  it,  it  is 
well  that  it  should  make  other  homes,  and  shed  around 
her  the  influence  of  the  Book,  that  "law  of  the  Lord," 
which  rules  by  her  own  fireside.  She  is  safe  under  the 
shadow  of  the  Bible  and  the  Home.  She  forsakes  no 
quiet,  womanly  aim  in  dealing  with  individualities,  and 
seeking  to  bring  souls  one  by  one  to  Christ.  "We  are 
inclined  to  maintain  very  strongly  that  this  indivi- 
dualism is  woman's  natural  element.  Man's  voice,  and 
nerve,  and  mould  of  intellectual  power,  fit  him  to  deal 
with  generalities  and  masses ;  and  if  woman,  as  his 
helpmeet  in  the  work  of  God,  prepares  his  way  in  detail, 
she  fulfils  the  office  appointed  to  her.  A  man  will 
almost  always  take  the  best  general  view  of  a  subject, 
and  a  woman  will  work  it  out  in  its  distinctive  features. 
His  theories  must  be  proved  in  her  practice. 

Yes,  we  do  earnestly  believe  that  woman's  work  is 
individual — first  in  her  inner  circle  ;  that  she  will  never 
do  anything  righteously  except  as  she  fulfils  the  duties 
of  her  own  "  inner  circle ; "  and  yet,  without  forsaking 
that,  for  paths  of  publicity  or  self-glorification,  there 
is  work  for  every  woman,  her  own  work — Cheist's 
WOEK  to  be  done  beyond  it.  God  has  as  many  plans 
of  life  for  women  as  there  are  women  in  the  world; 
and  "  If  she  have  diligently  followed  every  good  work," 
in  the  apostle's  injunctions  to  Timothy  concerning 
widows,  (1  Tim.  v.  10,)  implies  the  duty  of  every 
pious  woman. 

The  vocation  of  each  one  will  become  evident  to 


girls'  homes  and  woman's  work.         27] 

herself,  and  afterwards  to  others,  as  soon  as  she  obeys 
the  command,  "  Take  up  the  cross,  and  follow  me." 
Mere  imitators  of  human  types  often  disgrace  their 
originals,  and  disappoint  themselves ;  but  if  the  per- 
fect model  of  Jesus  is  set  before  each  of  us,  that  is 
so  high  that  the  least  approach  to  it  elevates  and 
sanctifies ;  and  in  Christ  there  is  neither  male  nor 
female. 

There  is  a  marvellous  though  rare  exception  in 
Scripture  to  the  ordinary  course  of  God's  levealed  will 
for  woman,  which  is  that  of  subjection  and  silence, 
with  regard  to  public  ministration  of  His  Word;  When 
the  people  of  Israel,  in  old  time,  were  in  an  exceed- 
ingly oppressed  condition  and  their  land  very  desolate, 
when  the  highways  lay  desert,  and  travellers  went  by 
winding  'bypaths,  having  been  so  often  smitten  and 
stripped  tliat  they  stole  from  place  to  place  by  un- 
frequented routes  ; — in  those  days  arose  Deborah — "  a 
mother  in  Israel."  She  dwelt  under  her  palm-tree 
between  Eamah  and  Bethel;  and  the  children  of  Israel 
came  up  to  her  for  judgment.  It  is  the  only  instance 
recorded  of  such  function  exercised  by  a  woman.  She 
was  a  prophetess,  and  respect  and  honour  seem  to  have 
been  paid  to  her  as  one  taught  of  God,  and  eminent 
for  her  sagacity  and  wisdom.  She  seems  not  only  to 
have  been  endued  with  the  power  of  foretelling  future 
events,  as  is  shewn  by  the  assurance  of  victory  she  gave 
to  Barak,  but  she  was  also  gifted  with  that  poetic  inspi- 
ration which  could  record  in  mighty  and  undying  song 
the  triumphs  of  Israel  when  they  obeyed  the  word  of  the 


272  GIELS'  HOMES  AND  WOMAN'S  WORK. 

Lord  ;  and  she  was  after  all  a  help-meet  to  man,  for 
Barak  told  her  he  could  not  go  up  on  his  perilous  expe- 
dition without  her.  In  our  more  modern  times,  the  high- 
ways and  byways  of  our  great  cities  need  their  Deborahs 
— their  "  mothers  in  Israel" — and  there  is  work  unend- 
ing for  the  "handmaids  of  the  Lord/'  on  whom  "He  shall 
pour  out  in  these  days  of  his  Spirit,"  (Acts  ii.  1 7.)  We 
have  apostolic  recommendation  that  the  elder  women 
be  "  teachers  of  good  things,  that  they  may  teach  the 
young  women  to  be  sober,  to  love  their  husbands,  to 
love  their  children,  to  be  discreet,  chaste,  keepers  at 
home,  good,  obedient  unto  their  own  husbands,  that  the 
word  of  God  he  not  blasphemed.''  They  were  to  have, 
it  certainly  appears,  a  "  Bible  and  Domestic  Mission," 
and  it  was  most  especially  to  be  a  mission  to  women. 

The  orift  of  utterance  is  bestowed  on  woman  in 
various  ways.  Without  deserting  her  own  hearth- 
stone, if  she  has  anything  to  say,  and  can  write  what 
will  be  read,  she  walks  within  her  natural  bounds  of 
individual  influence  in  that  which  she  exerts  over  her 
readers  one  by  one  in  their  silent  and  thoughtful  hours ; 
but  whatever  her  mission,  we  would  beseech  our  Chris- 
tian sisters,  let  it  continue  to  be  womanly. 

Some  few  of  our  sex  have  the  power  of  addressing 
and  interesting  numbers.  And  woman  subjects  her- 
self to  but  little  remark  when,  as  woman  alone  with 
wonfien,  if  her  faculty  permits,  she  speaks  for  God  and 
Jesus  even  to  hundreds  at  a  time.  We  have  heard  her 
speak  on  such  occasions  so  winningly,  so  touchingly, 
that  we  thought  we  had  never  before  known  how  we 


GIELS'  HOMES  AND  WOMAN'S  WORK.  273 

might  be  persuaded  to  accept  the  truth  by  invitation 
from  mortal  lips.  Still  there  will  always  be  a  division 
of  opinion  on  the  propriety  of  such  addresses ;  and 
we  hope  that  women  will  leave  to  men,  except  in 
very  peculiar  circumstances,  their  proper  faculty  of 
public  speech  —  of  speech  to  a  mixed  audience. 
The  design  of  this  little  volume  is  only  to  call  forth 
workers  for  Christ  among  women  who  shall  act  on 
individuals  one  by  one.  The  Mission  here  described 
affords  such  openings  for  quiet,  silent  work,  which 
none  can  gainsay.  Every  Christian  woman  has  some 
faculty,  if  she  would  find  it  out.  She  is  fitted  for 
some  particular  service,  and  she  may  learn  what  it  is 
in  trying  to  help  one  person  at  a  time.  It  is  only  as 
she  helps  to  fulfil  God's  purposes  that  her  work  will 
endure.  And  when  we  think  for  a  moment  on  what 
God's  great  purposes  must  be,  how  instantaneously  does 
it  bring  every  human  work,  whether  of  man  or  woman, 
to  its  proper  level,  and  shut  out  at  once  the  pride  and 
vanity  of  the  creature. 

The  great  purpose  of  Christ  must  be  to  educate  souls 
for  heaven  :  "  And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up,  will  draw  all 
men  unto  me."  This  He  does  one  by  one — bringing 
them  singly  each  through  their  own  furnace,  to  purge 
away  the  dross  of  self,  and  fix  their  eyes  on  Him.  And, 
ah,  how  much  of  self  there  is  in  each  to  be  burnt  away  ! 
Vanity  is  never  the  source  of  power  in  God's  work, 
but  self-dedication,  and  dedication  to  the  Seevice  OP 
(jOd's  Holy  Woed  is  ;  and  it  is  to  this  that  He  seems 
to  have  attached  in  these  last  days  a  special  blessing. 


274!         girls'  homes  and  woman's  work.  % 

All  the  facts  we  have  here  tried  to  group  lead 
to  one  certainty,  viz.,  that  God  specially  blesses  the 
aim  to  deliver  His  own  message — His  written  Word, 
to  every  human  creature.  Those  who  carry  it  to  the 
most  degraded  will  immediately  perceive  that  their 
bodies  must  be  cared  for  as  well  as  their  souls.  Not 
by  relief  or  gift — not  even  by  giving  them  the  Bible, 
but  by  lifting  up  their  poor  hands  to  take  hold  of  the 
message  for  themselves,  to  buy  the  Holy  Book,  or,  (if 
they  have  it  lying  dusty  on  the  shelf,)  by  opening  it 
and  reading  it  to  them — shewing  them  the  history  of  a 
Saviour  there. 

The  experience  of  every  day  now  bids  us  lay  firmer 
hoM  for  ourselves  on  the  conviction  that  Bible  ]\Iissions 
are  alone  worth  while.  Nothing  less  and  nothing  lower. 
Social  benefits  will  all  take  their  right  place  in  relation 
to  this  highest  aim — the  delivery  of  the  message  from 
God.  The  Bible  reforms  the  home.  Mr  Arthur  has  de- 
clared of  India,  "  Send  the  Bible  to  every  village,  in  the 
hand  of  some  one  who  can  read  it — and  wherever  you 
do  so,  you  send  the  teacher  with  it."  The  Spirit  of  God 
follows  the  Word.  We  must  pave  the  way,  say  some  of 
our  friends,  by  pressing  the  Temperance  Pledge,  and  by 
enforcing  Sanitary  regulations.  No,  this  is  no  lonoer 
a  matter  of  question  in  those  of  our  Missions  where 
God  is  working  with  us  most  visibly.  "  Other  founda- 
tion can  no  man  lay  than  that  is  laid,  which  is  Jesus 
Christ."  The  womanly  sympathy  of  our  agents,  so 
new  and  so  precious  to  the  degraded  among  women, 
draws  attention  to  the  Divine  message ;  then  comes 


girls'  homes  and  woman's  woek.  275 

invitation  to  the  mothers'  class,  to  listen  to  the  illus- 
trations of  that  message.  The  clean  bright  room  calls 
by  degrees  for  the  clean  dress,  and  a  clean  room  like  it 
at  home — a  clean  bed  and  clean  children.  The  money 
that  went  for  drink  is  now  all  wanted.  Besides, — the 
fresh  air  and  water  necessary  to  cleanliness  diminish 
the  desire  for  stimulants.  Temperance  has  quietly 
stepped  in,  and  cleanliness  comes  "  next  to  godliness  ;" 
but  godliness  first. 

A  few  more  statistics  about  the  Bible  : — 
10,533  copies  were  sold  by  the  Bible- women  last 
year,  and  in  the  two  years  previous  about  7500.  We 
are  indebted  to  the  kind  aid  of  the  British  and  Foreign 
Bible  Society,  according  to  our  Ladies'  reports,  about 
£458  for  the  present  half-year,  so  that  our  whole 
year's  help  from  the  Society  will  probably  be  under 
£1000 — inclusive  of  the  present  or  prospective  multi- 
plication of  our  districts  ;  for,  as  the  number  of  these 
multiplies,  the  sale  of  Bibles  is  likely  to  be  less  and  less 
in  each  separately. 

The  last  two  or  three  years'  BiBLE-work  in  London 
has  gone  far  to  annihilate  what  was  called  by  the 
City  Mission  ''the  destitution  of  the  Scriptures  in  the 
metropolis."  We  speak  not  only  of  our  own  sales — ■ 
which  have  been  certainly  upwards  of  20,000  copies — • 
but  of  those  of  the  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Chris- 
tian Knowledge  and  of  private  booksellers,  inclusive  of 
sales  by  Colporteurs,  Bible-collectors,  District  Visitors, 
and  at  the  Bible  Society's  Depots.  It  should  now 
therefore,  become  with  all  Christians  a  personal  Mis- 


276         girls'  homes  and  woman's  work. 

sion,  to  get  the  Bible  read  and  understood,  as  well  as 
sold.  While  the  bag  of  Bibles  to  sell  i«  still  the  most 
important  mode  of  entrance  for  our  Bible- women,  they 
are  quite  as  much  fulfilling  their  Bible-mission  in  read- 
ing the  Sacred  Volume  in  short  and  striking  portions, 
and  praying  with  the  people  over  what  they  read  ;  also 
in  bringing  them  to  the  Mission-room,  where  the 
Lady's  place  is  perpetually  becoming  more  defined — 
as  making  Bible-teaching  her  first  duty — and  in  that 
receiving  her  greatest  blessing. 

The  outcast  poor  have  paid  for  Bibles  to  this  Mis- 
sion in  the  years  1857,  '58,  '59,  '60,  '61,  the  sum  of 
£1706,  12s.  8d.,  which  is  therefore  also  the  exact 
amount  of  the  aid  we  have  received  during  that  period 
from  the  Committee  of  the  British  and  Foreign 
Bible  Society,  who  kindly  give  us  the  value  of  their 
Bibles  towards  the  salary  of  our  women. 

It  is  surely  a  first  trophy  of  victories  to  come  that  this 
Domestic  Female-mission  has  induced  poor  mothers  in 
London,  who  had  never  before  subscribed  to  Clothing 
Clubs,  to  pay  in  four  years  the  astonishing  sum  of 
£5013,  7s.  6d.  to  purchase  for  themselves  their  own 
Dress  and  Beds;  being  thus  induced  to  save  from 
beer-shops  and  gin-palaces  more  than  a  million  and  a- 
half  of  stray  pence,  which,  they  often  tell  us,  have  come 
back  to  them  again  as  if  by  gift. 


CHAPTER  Xn. 


*'  Look  not  every  man  on  his  own  things,  bi^t  every  man  also 
on  the  things  of  others." 

**  Lftfc  this  mind  be  in  you  which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus." 

—Phil.  ii.  4,  5. 


We  desire  to  attach  considerable  importance  to  the 
little  word  "  with"  in  the  heading  of  this  chapter.  To 
work  ivitJb  all  who  worked  for  God,  has  been  from  the 
first  our  earnest  desire  ;  but  our  basis  being  very  broad 
and  our  work  lying  very  wide — always  concerning  the 
Bible  and  the  Home  among  the  outcast  classes — and 
our  support  coming  spontaneously  from  all  Christians, 
it  seemed  imperative  to  keep  it  unfettered,  and  to  pre- 
serve its  first  features  of  individualism  and  dualism. 
We  have  happened  to  hit  on  the  right  vein,  in  the  heart 
of  the  capital  of  Christendom — heathen  ignorance  of 
the  Word  of  God  in  the  minds  of  poor  mothers,  which, 
when  it  came  to  light,  everybody  owned  and  seemed  to 
have  given  up  in  despair ;  for  it  appeared  a  fact  con- 
cluded upon,  that  notwithstanding  all  the  efforts  of 
Churchmen  and  Nonconformists,  and  Societies  includ- 
ing both  parties,  the  major  part  of  the  lowest  of  our 
population,  men  and  women,  slipped  through  their 
fingers,  and  would  not  come  to  hear  what  they  had  to 
say.  The  census  of  1851  proved  this,  and  the  nation 
sat  down  to  the  conviction  ;  but  the  mouse  nibbled  the 
lion's  net,  and  Christian,  in  Bunyan's  "  Pilgrim's  Pro- 


280  WOEKING  WITH  OTHERS. 

gress,"  had  in  his  bosom  the  key  of  promise  that  fitted 
the  wards  of  the  dungeon-gate  of  Giant  Despair. 

This  mission  took  rise  in  1857  from  two  thoughts 
that  were  suggested  by  a  first  walk  through  the  Seven 
Dials : — 1.  Has  the  Bible  found  its  way  to  these  dark 
places  in  London  ?  2.  If  it  had,  would  they  remain  as 
we  see  them  ?  Eesolve  succeeded,  to  get  the  first  ques- 
tion answered  through  a  poor  woman,  who,  living  in  the 
district,  would  feel  no  fear  of  the  people.  Previous 
experiments  had  been  made  with  such  a  visitor,  or 
rather  with  a  partially  paid  agency  not  of  the  lowest 
class,  in  the  courts  of  the  High  Street  of  Gravesend, 
and  with  some  success,  where  it  was  said  that  ladies 
could  not  go.  "  Marian  "  was  then  sought,  and  found  ; 
and  her  first  year's  good  work,  and  its  record,  while 
leading  on  through  the  school  of  mistakes  in  a  few 
particulars,  proved  an  example  to  other  localities,  and 
resulted  in  subsequent  experiences  now  too  many  to 
be  doubted.  The  first  six  months  had  taught  us  that 
there  was  Woman's  Work  for  woman  undone,  and 
crying  out  to  be  done,  in  every  poor  street.  Didactic 
appeal  about  it  would  have  been  of  little  avail ;  indeed 
we  foresaw  nothing  of  success  or  support  in  the  labour 
— but  just  to  tell  what  Marian  found,  in  simple  narra- 
tive form,  and  truthfully,  was  possible ;  and  that  pro- 
duced a  repetition  of  the  effort. 

Our  workers  multiplied  just  as  such  narratives  af- 
forded the  means,  and  our  field  appeared  quite  free 
for  us.  Of  course,  all  former  workers  had  their  circles, 
but  we  had  enough  to  do,  and  we  have  it  to  this  mo- 


WORKING  WITH  OTHERS.  281 

ment,  among  those  who  tell  us  none  have  ever  cared 
for  them  or  brought  them  God's  message  before.  Such 
at  least  is  London  ;  and  listen  to  the  Vicar  of  Isling- 
ton, one  of  London's  best-cared  for  suburbs  : — 

"  You  have  asked  me  to  put  on  paper  my  impressions 
of  the  result  of  the  Bible-woman's  labours  in  this 
parish.  It  might  have  been  thought  that  there  was  no 
opening  for  such  work  here,  where  the  poor  were  sup- 
posed to  be  so  fully  supplied  with  the  Scriptures,  hav- 
ing been  visited,  for  many  years,  by  Scripture-readers, 
City  Missionaries,  District  Visitors,  and  Bible-collec- 
tors ;  for  we  have,  indeed,  a  staff  of  300  visitors.  The 
experience  of  the  last  year  has,  however,  convinced  me 
that  there  is  abundant  scope  for  the  peculiar  labours 
of  the  Bible-women,  even  in  parishes  where  all  other 
appliances  exist,  and  are  in  active  operation." 

Good  men  dealt  with  the  masses,  and  they  longed  for 
the  masses  to  deal  with  ;  we  found  we  could  go  deeper 
down  into  the  hearts  of  our  own  sex,  and  often  hear 
them  say  to  the  Bible-woman,  "  We  can  tell  you  what 
we  could  not  tell  the  missionary,  or  the  lady,  or  the 
clergyman." 

As  the  cultivation  of  this  "  native  agency"  among 
poor  women  has  become  popular,  it  has  had  its  equiva- 
lent perils.  Former  workers,  genuine  ones,  have  been 
a  little  hurt  at  the  universal  acknowledgment  of  wel- 
come to  our  often  feeble  and  imperfect  workers,  and 
considered  such  preference  unjust.  They  have  each, 
naturally  enough,  stood  for  their  own  order. 

To  all  of  them  we  reply,  and  in  Christian  humility. 


282  WOEKING  WITH  OTHERS. 

Brethren,  our  power  is  not  in  ourselves  ;  it  is  in  the 
"  sword  of  the  Sj^irit ''  which  we  carry,  and  you  have  it 
also.  We  do  not  talk,  we  strike  ;  and  God  nerves  our 
arm  to  strike  home.  Our  work  is,  as  you  know,  but  a 
drop  in  the  ocean.  Be  not  afraid  lest  we  leave  you  no 
waves  to  buffet  and  wrestle  with.  If  a  Bible-woman, 
in  the  strength  of  her  message  from  God,  has  had 
entrance  made  for  her  by  the  King  of  kings  into  every 
room  in  every  house  in  a  street — ah,  and  into  every 
corner  of  every  room,  as  He  pleased — ^she  must  needs 
bring  sheep  into  all  your  folds.  When  the  women 
hearken,  the  men  will  follow.  The  Bible  must  make 
the  women,  the  women  must  make  the  homes,  the 
homes  make  the  men  and  the  children.  Multiply  the 
"  Missing  Links,"  therefore,  and  let  them  keep  to  their 
broad  basis,  and  their  wide  and  yet  individual  and 
unfettered  work,  and  prepare  to  enlarge  all  your  re- 
ceptacles for  a  people  that  want  to  be  taught.  In  your 
churches,  in  your  chapels,  and  in  your  mission-rooms, 
you  will  have  congregations  whose  thirst  for  the  water 
of  life  will  divest  many  a  preacher  of  his  mere  phraseo- 
logies, and  prompt  him  to  clear  and  simple  teaching  of 
the  way  of  salvation. 

The  lowest  of  the  people  do  not  come  to  places  ap- 
pointed for  the  worship  of  God, — first,  because  they  are 
very  dirty,  and  ashamed  to  shew  themselves;  and, 
secondly,  because  they  do  not  understand  the  A  B  C 
of  what  is  talked  about  there.  Therefore,  we  have 
begun  to  teach  the  women  of  those  low  streets  the 
A  B  C  of  Christianity.     Mrs  Mason  tells  us  of  the 


WOEKING  WITH  OTHERS.  283 

Tounojhoo  women,  "  The  reason  Burmah  is  not  con- 
verted is,  because  the  women  are  not ;  and  the  reason 
the  women  are  not  converted  is,  because  they  do  not 
under  stancV 

"  The  teachers,  as  men,''  she  says,  "  have  not  had 
the  time  or  the  patience  to  sit  down  on  a  low  seat  and 
say  one  simple  truth  over  and  over,  in  varied  ways. 
If  you  would  have  Burmah  redeemed  unto  the  Lord, 
send  woman  to  ivoman,  and  let  them  teach  the 
A  B  C  of  Christianity,  which  is  mother's  work  all  the 
world  over.  'Moving  Shway  Moung  is  like  Mount 
Meru,  very  high.  He  knows  everything,'  say  the 
women  of  Burmah,  ' hut  he  cant  talk  woman-talk — we 
don't  understand.' " 

It  surely  is  not  supposed  by  our  clergy  or  ministers, 
or  by  any  of  the  great  and  good  Societies  which  are 
most  truly  the  glory  of  our  country,  that  we,  with  our 
earnest  and  womanly  individualism,  whether  in  England 
or  anywhere  else,  aim  to  supersede  any  good  work 
already  doing,  or  to  interfere  with  men's  work  at  aU. 
If  it  were,  we  can  only  say  they  are  utterly  mistaken — 
THEY  "  don't  understand."  Let  them  come  down  from 
"  Mount  Meru  " — let  them  come  down  and  see. 

We  wish  they  could  be  invisibly  present  at  our 
Mothers'  Classes  and  Prayer-meetings,  now  gathered 
together  all  over  London  by  weak  women ;  but  it 
must  be  invisibly,  for  if  we  saw  them  there,  we  should 
cede  our  places  to  them,  and  then  it  would  not  be  the 
same  thino". 

We  have  the  witness  in  hundreds  of  hearts,  ay,  we 


284  WOEKING  WITH  OTHEES. 

may  even  now  say  in  thousands,  that,  besides  teaching 
the  women  to  cook  and  scour,  and  mend  and  make, 
and  care  for  their  babies,  which  is  allowed  to  be  our 
true  vocation,  there  is  above  and  beyond  all  this  a  true 
spiritual  work  for  us  as  women,  and  it  is  awaiting  us  in 
every  street,  as  Mrs  Mason  says,  "  to  teach  the  ABC 
of  Christianity/'  The  Lord  has  prepared  our  way 
for  it,  and  we  are  preparing  the  way  of  His  servants — 
His  ministers  ;  and  causing  the  people  to  long  for  fur- 
ther instruction. 

Among  the  offshoots  from  Bible-missions  there  is 
nothing  more  interesting  to  a  discerning  Lady-Super- 
intendent than  the  study  of  the  different  degrees  of 
faculty  evidenced  by  the  members  of  the  mothers'  class. 
If  she  has  the  happiness  of  bringing  them  one  after 
another  to  the  feet  of  Jesus,  clothed  and  in  their  right 
mind,  they  are  fit  for  something  more  than  they  for- 
merly were.  They  enter — as  truly  as  their  superiors  in 
station — as  soon  as  they  are  converted  from  the  error 
of  their  way,  upon  a  life  of  worship  and  of  work,  and 
now  that  "  the  great  change  "  is  passing  upon  thousands 
of  hitherto  thoughtless  hearts,  we  shall  have  a  fresh 
reinforcement  of  the  ranks  of  workers  for  God. 


There  is  no  natural  gift  in  a  poor  woman  more 
popular  and  welcome,  even  in  the  worst  neighbour- 
hoods, than  the  gift  of  nursing — such  as  it  may  be. 
"  A  neighbourly  person,"  who  is  ready  to  lend  a  hand, 


WORKING  WITH  OTHEES.  285 

ill  sickness  or  accident,  may  be  found  in  every  street, 
and  tlie  roughest  set  of  people  always  seek  her  services. 
We  have  been  recently  struck  with  the  duty  of  looking 
out  for  these  "  nurses  born,"  and  making  use  of  them 
to  a  much  greater  extent  in  their  own  particular  dis- 
trict, in  connexion  with  the  Bible-woman,  whose  time 
they  may  save,  and  spare  for  her  more  spiritual  kind 
of  work. 

It  is  possible  that  some  of  these  nursing- women 
might  be  worth  what  Miss  Nightingale  would  call 
"  training  for  their  vocation  ; "  but  what  we  specially 
desire  for  them  is  the  training  that  a  sensible  and  use- 
ful Lady,  who  made  that  her  mission,  could  give  them 
from  the  experience  she  has  had  in  her  own  or  her 
father's  house.  We  do  not  want  them  taken  into  an 
hospital  to  be  trained,  i.e.,  not  the  major  part  of  them, 
but  left  where  they  are  found — in  the  streets  we  wish 
them  to  mend.  Not  taken  out  of  their  own  families 
even,  but  still  helping  just  in  the  neighbourly  way,  and 
only  paid,  in  proportion,  as  they  may  be  sent  on  errands 
of  love  and  mercy  that  would  absorb  their  time  more 
entirely. 

It  is  with  dirt  we  first  want  them  to  grapple,  and 
disease  born  of  dirt.  The  Bible-woman  begins  this 
conflict ;  but  in  proportion  as  she  succeeds,  the  details 
of  help  overpower  her,  and  she  wants  this  follower — 
a  matronly,  kindly,  tidy  body — who  will  win  the  elder 
girl  of  a  household  to  take  a  pride  in  the  appearance 
of  her  little  brothers,  and  of  her  hard- worked  mother's 
i-ooni ;    who  will  be  ever  proving   to  the   people  the 


286  WOKKING  WITH  OTHEES. 

medicinal  powers  of  pure  water  and  fresh  air,  of  clean 
clothing  and  comfortable  bedding,  and  putting  them  in 
the  way  to  obtain  them.  There  is  some  woman  in 
every  "  mothers'  class  "  who  might  be  cultivated  into  this 
blessing  to  a  neighbourhood,  and  she  should  be  sought 
for,  and  proved,  before  any  payment  is  offered  to  her. 
If  she  be  a  loving  child  of  God,  how  many  an  oppor- 
tunity may  she  have  to  drop  the  word  in  season,  and 
to  bring  the  sufferer  to  Christ !  This  is  not  mere  theory. 
We  know  a  cheerful  and  respectable  woman,  who  at 
forty-six  years  of  age  has  been  herself  changed  from  a 
meagre,  downcast,  passionate,  noisy  wife,  to  what  she 
now  is  in  the  Bible-woman's  mission-room.  The  new 
calling  of  a  nurse  has  actually  given  her  health  and 
strength.  She  took  up  the  work  that  lay  at  her  door, 
and,  under  direction,  with  sevenfold  power.  The  Bible- 
woman  of  that  district  has  always  two  or  three  mes- 
sages before  she  begins  her  rounds  every  morning, 
begging  that  she  will  send  the  Mission-nurse — to 
whom  many  a  case  is  referred  that  used  to  be  sent  to 
the  hospital — and  she  often  has  the  opportunity  of 
ministering  to  the  soul's  need  while  soothing  bodily 
pain.  The  poor  are  most  haj^pily  occupied  in  helping- 
each  other  towards  self-help. 

A  Bible-woman's  foundation  work  is  sure  to  issue  in 
division  of  labour.  As  the  good  seed  of  the  kingdom 
springs  up  and  brings  forth  fruit,  workers  of  the  under 
class  at  present  alluded  to  will  arise,  and  their  right 
individual  guides  of  the  upper  class  also,  as  is  obvious 
to  those  who  are  watching  these  Bible  and  Domestic 
Missions  in  different  neighbourhoods,  in  every  succeed- 


WORKING  WITH  OTHERS.  287 

ing  week.  We  hope  our  friends  will  keep  it  in  mind 
to  look  out  for  "nurses  born,"  the  women  of  the  voice, 
and  foot,  and  hand,  that  can  yield  comfort  and  repose 
in  the  sick  room. 

All  honour,  as  we  said  before,  to  many  good  MEN 
who  have  been  g,wake  while  we  as  women  slept,  or  sat 
in  our  parlours,  not  seeing  our  duty  to  women  and 
their  homes.  Thanks  to  them  that  they  performed  the 
duty  we  neglected,  and  did  it  in  anywise.  Let  us  now 
cast  without  delay  our  net  of  finer  meshes,  and  employ 
our  feminine  persuasion  and  our  natural  power  of  in- 
fluence in  the  quiet  and  loving  service  of  the  Word. 
"  The  law  of  the  Lord  is  perfect,  converting  the  soul." 
He  shall  see  His  Word  presently  accomplishing  the  end 
"  whereunto  He  sent  it,"  made  manifest  as  by  "  living 
epistles  "  in  the  changed  men  and  women  of  the  Dens. 
They  will  be  the  next  "  Missing  Links." 

But  why  do  you  not,  we  are  often  asked,  place  the 
Bible-woman  under  the  control  of  the  clergyman  in 
whose  parish  she  works  ? 

We  often  practically  meet  his  wish  that  this  should 
be  the  case  by  leaving  him  to  name  the  woman,  if  he 
knows  of  a  suitable  one  among  his  own  communicants, 
and  are  glad  that  he  should  present  the  LADY  also  if  he 
wishes  a  Bible  Mission  appointed,  and  is  able  more  or 
less  to  contribute  to  its  support,  and  in  such  cases  it 
will,  in  all  probability,  be  insured  that  both  of  the  work- 
ers shall  be  Church  people.  At  the  same  time,  we  have 
frequently  proved  that  there  are  members  of  the  Church 
of  England  who  will  carry  on  this  mission  with  so  large 
a  heart,  that  even  when  they  find  women  who  are  Bap- 


288  WOKKING  WITH  OTHERS. 

tists,  Wesleyans,  or  Congregationalists  working  in  their 
parish,  provided  they  are  the  right  women,  •they  will 
enter  into  their  work,  hail  them  as  humble  fellow- 
labourers,  and  often  recommend  for  them  helpful 
Superintendents.  We  ourselves  are  all  the  better 
pleased  if  these  are  pious  Church  ladies.  We  admire 
the  union  of  denominations  in  Bible  and  Domestic  Mis- 
sions, and  we  constantly  see  such  Bible  women,  though 
not  Episcopalians,  earnestly  help  the  clergyman  to  fill 
his  schools  and  his  church. 

The  object  of  this  mission  is  not  sectional,  and  there 
is  no  occasion  that  it  should  be  made  so.  It  is  to  call 
the  minds  of  the  ignorant  to  the  great  Book  which 
belongs  to  us  all,  and  place  them  in  a  condition  to 
listen  to  its  message  bodily  and  mentally,  and  after 
that  to  lead  them  with  equal  joy  into  either  of  the 
present  earthly  divisions  of  Christ's  fold,  only  caring 
that  it  be  Christ's.  The  day  is  dawning  when  there 
shall  be  but  one  fold  and  one  Shepherd. 

We  have  pleasure  in  referring  to  a  Home  at  Barnet 
in  the  North  London  district,  under  the  superintendence 
of  the  Rev.  W.  and  Mrs  Pennefather,  for  the  prelimi- 
nary training  of  pious  persons  desirous  of  labouring 
in  fields  of  Christian  usefulness  at  home  and  abroad. 
This  institution  is  yet  in  its  infancy.  Eleven  young 
women  have  been  admitted  hitherto.  They  are  re- 
ceived into  the  Institution  on  the  recommendation  of 
two  or  three  pious  persons,  who  testify  to  their  Chris- 
tian character  and  heartfelt  interest  in  the  Lord's 
service ;  and  enter  on  trial,  in  order  that  their  health 


WORKING  WITH  OTHERS.  289 

and  their  aptitude  for  instruction  (both  in  intellec- 
tual and  practical  subjects)  may  be  tested.  Young 
women  of  true  piety,  whether  members  of  the  Church 
of  England  or  other  orthodox  churches,  are  eligible  as 
candidates. 

"  We  have  at  Barnet,"  says  Mr  Pennefather,  "  three 
Orphan  Asylums,  containing  upwards  of  300  children, 
entirely  under  one  management.  There  is  also  a  Re- 
fuge for  Fallen  Women  ;  a  small  Infirmary  ;  two  Homes 
for  destitute  girls  ;  Boys'  and  Girls'  Parochial  Schools  ; 
and  Infant  and  Ragged  Schools.  These  several  Insti- 
tutions afford  an  opportunity  to  our  young  women  ot 
acquiring  knowledge  in  various  departments  of  useful- 
ness ;  a  thorough  industrial  training  being  one  of  our 
main  objects. 

"  We  have  now  secured  an  able  Superintendent.  One 
of  our  inmates  has  already  been  selected  by  a  Mission- 
ary's wife  to  accompany  her  back  to  India ;  another  is 
looking  to  Syria  as  her  sphere  of  labour  ;  a  third  is 
anxious  to  fit  herself  for  nursino-  the  sick  in  a  foreiorn 
missionary  station ;  and  we  doubt  not  that,  with  God's 
blessino-  restinoj  on  the  Institution,  the  needful  funds 
will  be  supplied,  and  that  important  results  will  follow." 


We  have  learned  in  our  Bible-v/oman's  work  the 
real  necessity  of  this  preliminary  training  of  pious  per- 
sons for  MATRONSHIP  of  Homes,  Refuges,  and  other 
posts    of   trust   needing   special    previous    experience 


290  WORKING  WITH  OTHEES. 

From  this  home,  Bible  missionaries  of  another  grade 
would  go  forth,  like  Pastor  Flieclner's  deaconesses. 

In  a  letter  from  one  of  our  dear  friends, — who  herself 
souo^ht  for  traininoj  at  the  well-known  and  similar 
Protestant  Establishment,  which  exists,  on  a  far  larger 
scale,  at  Kaiseesweeth,  on  the  Ehine,  and  who  is  now 
beginning  to  give  us  most  valuable  help  in  our  Parker 
Street  and  Dudley  Street  Homes, — the  following  pas- 
sage occurs : — 

"  Kaiserswerth  -is  certainly  an  Institution  built  on 
the  true  foundation ;  and  the  simple  faith  and  trust  of 
teachers  and  taught  is  very  beautiful.  Many  residents 
here  are  most  uncommon  characters ;  and,  as  one 
watches  the  training  of  the  novices,  one  feels  that  the 
true  art  of  their  education  is  understood.  Pastor 
Fliednee  observed  one  day,  '  Ten  years  ago,  at  Exeter 
Hall,  when  I  spoke  of  my  Deaconesses  as  Bible-women, 
clergymen  were  astonished;  and  now  there  are  such 
in  London,  with  the  very  name;'  and,  indeed,  the 
sisters  here  are  Bible-women. 

"  The  Pastor  has  Branch  Institutions  in  Pennsylvania, 
Alexandria,  and  Syria,  and  in  many  parts  of  the  Conti- 
nent. One  opened  at  Florence,  about  six  months  since, 
is  doing  well. 

"  It  is  a  great  privilege  to  know  the  man  to  whom 
God  has  given  such  results  from  his  twenty-five  years' 
service.  His  motto  is  Love,  and  his  aim,  to  make  each 
one  only  the  centre  of  a  circle  of  usefulness — so  that 
each  shall  be  not  only  herself  a  worker,  hut  a  trainer 


WOEKING  WITH  OTHERS.  291 

of  many  to  take  her  place.  This  is  his  great  aim, 
which,  he  says,  is  too  much  overlooked.'* 

It  appears  to  us  that  much  advantage  will  be  gained 
if  training  establishments  for  the  pious  women,  who 
desire  to  be  God's  workers  in  the  world,  can  be  so  con- 
stituted as  to  include  the  members  of  every  orthodox 
spiritual  community,  and,  of  course,  to  permit  them 
free  access  to  their  several  pastors  and  churches  when 
desired.  Yet  we  can  at  the  same  time  perceive  that  the 
work  of  the  Deaconess,  to  which  a  marked  allusion  is 
made  by  St  Paul  in  his  mention  of  Phcebe,  was  and 
must  be  definitely  attached  to  an  ecclesiastical  centre. 

Any  allusion  to  the  ofiice  of  a  Deaconess  will  pro- 
bably call  to  mind  an  article  in  the  Quarterly  Review 
for  October  1860,  into  which  we  know  were  compressed 
the  thoughts  and  hopes  of  many  years.  A  shorter  pam- 
phlet more  recently  put  forth  by  that  writer*  gives 
full  consideration  to  the  subject  of  women's  work  in 
connexion  with  the  Church  of  England. 

The  trained  Deaconess  of  our  day  is  much  needed  to 
be  what  she  was  of  old,  "  the  servant  of  the  Church," 
a  Parochial  or  Congregational  Female  Missionary,  (for 
if  one  is  instituted  the  other  would  follow,)  under  direc- 
tion of  the  pastor  or  his  helpers,  appointed  to  divers 
works  of  usefulness  in  that  particular  communion — to 
concentrate  her  womanly  care  upon  its  sick  and  poor, 
its  aged  and  lonely  ones.     We   think  she  might  be 

*  The  Help  of  Women  in  English  Parishes,  Murray,  Albemarle 
Street.     Price  3d. 


292  WOEKING  WITH  OTHEES. 

greatly  aided  by  some  Christian  sister,  her  superior  in 
station,  with  whom  to  confer  and  advise,  in  a  somewhat 
similar  position  to  onr  Lady-Superintendent. 

It  would  require,  of  course,  the  exercise  of  Christian 
love  when  Parochial  and  Congregational  deaconesses 
met  on  the  same  ground.  The  Scripture-reader  and 
the  City  missionary  do  this,  and  very  amicably  ;  while 
all  true  labourers  have  learned  to  do  it  in  foreign  mis- 
sionary fields.  Again,  it  would  require  that  "the 
servants  of  the  churches"  should  yet  more  consider 
themselves  servants  of  Christ  and  His  Word  ;  and  great 
space  they  would  still  leave  for  the  poor  Bible- woman 
and  her  Lady  in  the  realms  of  the  sunken  sixth,  as 
they  (the  deaconesses)  would  not  fulfil  their  office  by 
visiting  every  family  house  by  house ;  and  a  perpetual 
friendly  communication  with  these  ever-needed  pioneers 
must  still  be  maintained, — hence  the  importance  of 
our  agency  being  kept  unsectional. 

To  recur  to  the  point  we  started  with,  viz. — "  our 
working  with  others/'  We  have  been  urged  by  cir- 
cumstances to  form  ourselves  into  a  Body  of  co-workers 
in  London,  for  mutual  conference  and  help,  and  the 
avoidance  of  irregularities.  Private  missions  have  a 
tendency  to  die  out  with  the  removal  of  their  first  sup- 
porters ;  or,  perhaps,  the  industrial  element  gets  upper- 
most ;  or  the  woman  is  paid  from  free  contributions  to 
the  Bible  Society — which  is  a  great  misdemeanour  in 
the  view  of  that  Society  to  us  so  friendly  and  helpful ; 
or  having  no  time  and  place  at  which  to  render  account, 
results  are  not  summed  up,  or  even  observed,  and  mis- 


WORKING  WITH  OTHERS.  295 

takes  therefore  yield  no  fruit.  "  Union  is  strength  "  in 
many  ways,  and  in  none  more  than  in  social  conference, 
whether  as  regards  the  Bible-women  or  their  Ladies. 
Each  one  then  learns  that  hers  is  not  the  only  sphere, 
nor  her  plans  the  only  successful  ones.  We  can  truly 
witness  that  our  Ladies  and  women  have  taught  one 
another  as  God  has  taught  each  of  them,  and  with  far 
less  chatter  and  gossip  than  is  said  to  mark  women's 
work  in  general.  Their  occasional  meetings  have  over- 
come prejudice,  and  increased  Christian  love.  Little 
jealousies  and  egotisms  belonging  to  "  my  church  "  and 
"  your  chapel "  have  died  away  in  Christian  fellowship 
in  Christ's  work  and  at  the  Lord's  Table  ;  and  we  have 
often  had  foretastes  of  the  glory  that  shall  follow. 

We  have  hitherto  thought  it  best  to  go  silently  for- 
ward, as  God  might  lead  us,  merely  entering  in  at  the 
doors  of  usefulness  which  He  opened  —  conferring 
chiefly  with  our  co-workers  ;  earning  experience  from 
our  own  mistakes;  striving  to  give  no  just  cause  of 
offence ;  and  reaping,  as  the  Lord  permitted  us,  a  most 
abundant  harvest,  after  a  comparatively  short  sowing- 
time,  which,  indeed,  has  made  it  easy  to  take  slight 
heed  of  opposition,  and  to  trust  to  facts  to  live  it  down. 

A  little  more  general  explanation  of  our  aims  and 
intentions  is,  perhaps,  occasionally  necessary  to  our 
friends  who  are  members  of  Ladies'  Bible  Associa- 
tions, lest  they  think  that  if  Bible- women  are  placed 
upon  their  districts,  nothing  further  remains  which 
voluntary  agents  need  accomplish. 

We  think  it  well  here  to  repeat  our  statement,  that 


294  WORKING  WITH  OTHEES. 

our  continuous  aira  has  been  to  place  these  women 
where  they  are  most  wanted,  guided  somewhat  by  the 
help  offered  us  for  their  support ;  but  never  in  any  case, 
unless  it  can  be  proved  that  evangelising  work  and 
Bible- work  want  doing,  and  where  the  poor  say  "  that 
nobody  cares  for  them  /" — districts  in  which,  though 
the  ordinances  of  religion  may  be  carefully  observed, 
still  a  link  seems  missing  between  them  and  large 
masses  of  those  who  care  nothing  about  them. 

To  the  depths  that  escape  the  notice,  or  are  impene- 
trable to  the  weekly  visit  of  other  agencies — to  these 
we  have  addressed  ourselves  by  daily  effort,  and  suc- 
cessfully, by  the  grace  of  God  ;  but  we  feel  that,  after 
all,  the  result  is  merely  fractional,  in  comparison  with 
the  need  of  the  labour;  and  as  to  superseding  any 
voluntary  work  among  the  decent  classes,  who  were 
very  largely  reached  by  former  organisations,  we  have 
no  deeper  wish  than  to  increase  the  vitality  and  effi- 
ciency of  all  voluntary  efforts. 

We  have  constant  proof  that  the  right  kind  of  Bible- 
woman  is  a  true  helper  to  the  City  Mission aey  ;  that 
she  makes  him  fresh  avenues  to  entrance,  and  that  of 
a  kind  most  suited  to  him  in  his  influence  over  the 
fathers  of  those  homes  in  which  her  daily  visits  com- 
fort and  reform  the  mothers,  as  he  could  not  do.  The 
help  is  mutual,  and  extremely  important  to  both  par- 
ties. There  may  be  little  hitches  here  and  there  with 
a  few  individuals ;  but,  on  the  whole,  the  City  Mis- 
sionaries and  the  Bible-women  work  well  together, 
and  it  is  fully  admitted  that  there  is  room  for  both 


WORKING  WITH  OTHERS.  295 

of  them,  if  their  work  is  well  adjusted,  in  the  same 
district. 

As  to  the  District  Visitor  or  the  Bible-collector,  who 
feel  their  province  invaded  by  the  presence  of  the 
Bible-woman,  we  would  only  ask  them  each  to  come 
into  pleasant  and  unsuspicious  relation  to  her,  and  see 
if  she  will  not  then  also  assist  them  in  their  particular 
departments.  Our  perpetual  exhortation  and  request 
to  the  Ladies  who  take  the  charge  of  these  women  is  to 
the  following  effect :  Endeavour  by  your  superior  posi- 
tion clearly  to  ascertain  what  good  work  for  the  saving 
of  souls  is  already  going  on  in  the  neighbourhood. 
We  have  proved  repeatedly,  to  our  own  full  conviction, 
that  there  may  have  been  good  workers  whose  work 
has  been  very  silent,  yet  earnest,  in  a  locality  where 
very  little  has  seemed  to  be  accomplished,  and  where 
undoubtedly  a  great  deal  remains  to  be  done ;  and, 
possibly,  these  will  feel  aggrieved  when  fresh  and  suc- 
cessful accessories  are  found  in  their  particular  sphere. 
But  time  is  too  short,  and  death  too  busy,  to  indulge 
these  personalities,  which  are,  as  yet,  far  more  rife  than 
they  ought  to  be  in  the  Church  of  Christ.  They  will 
be  cast  out  in  proportion  as  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God 
makes  a  temple  of  every  one  of  our  souls,  and  shews  us 
that  we  must  strive  to  work  toGjether  for  the  sake  of 
our  Lord's  work,  and  to  think  of  it  less  as  our  own. 

The  labour  of  a  Bible-woman  can  never  supersede 
any  previous  effort  of  a  true  kind,  or  that  has  been 
undertaken  in  a  right  spirit,  nor  should  it  cause  any 
relaxation  of  such  effort.    Her  work  is  only  supplemen- 


296  WORKING  WITH  OTHERS. 

tary,  but  tlie  supplement  was  sadly  wanting.  Granted 
that  slie  gains  admission  where  the  best  of  men  and  the 
kindest  of  ladies  had  hitherto  made  no  way,  and  where 
they  could  have  done  little  to  prepare  the  way  of  the 
Lord  if  they  had,  with  a  dirty,  thriftless,  drunken 
woman.  We  do  not  say  that  higher  agencies  never 
touch  such  women,  but  at  least,  by  their  own  admission, 
there  are  a  vast  number  of  these  yet  to  be  reclaimed. 
Are  all  such  to  wait  till  we  ourselves  can  take  hold  of 
them  ?  or  are  we  to  accept  of  every  instrument,  high 
and  low,  which  our  Master  chooses  to  use  ? 

There  was  an  old  lesson  wdiich  even  the  loving  John 
required  to  learn.  When  he  saw  one  casting  out  devils 
in  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  said  that  he  forbade  him, 
"  because  he  followeth  not  with  us,"  the  command  of 
the  Heavenly  Teacher  was,  "  Forbid  him  not,  for  he 
that  is  not  against  us  is  for  us." 

To  recur  to  the  work  of  a  Lady  Superintendent.  In 
her  engagement  to  help  the  Bible-woman  is  included, 
as  far  as  possible,  the  smoothing  of  any  difficulties 
which  her  humble  sister  may  find  in  her  path.  As 
her  work  may  become  known  by  the  practical  good  she 
does,  and  by  the  Bibles  she  sells  in  any  given  locality, 
and  inquiries  are  made,  sometimes  with  surprise  and 
vexation,  by  the  lady  who  may  have  called  it  her 
district,  it  will  be  well  if  the  Bible -woman's  Super- 
intendent can  communicate,  if  even  but  occasionally, 
with  some  one  or  more  members  of  the  Ladies'  Bible 
Association  of  the  neighbourhood.  She  will  certainly 
be  able  to  shew  them  that,  in  any  given  part  of  London 


WORKING  WITH  OTHERS.  297 

whatever,  the  woman's  work  done  i  ^  almost  infinitesimal, 
in  proportion  to  that  which  she  leaves  for  others. 

Take  any  third-rate  street.  The  class  of  small 
tradespeople  there  will  very  generally  prefer  the  call  of 
the  Lady  for  the  Penny  Bible  Subscription,  if  she  will 
call  punctually ;  so,  indeed,  will  many  of  the  decent 
poor ;  but  there  will  be  courts  and  alleys  out  of  that 
very  street,  and  not  a  few  houses  in  it,  of  which  the 
Lady  knows  nothing,  save  that  she  has  called  at  the 
door,  and  been  refused  admittance.  Often,  only  by  a 
series  of  calls,  and  at  varied  times,  does  the  Bible- 
woman  find  her  way  to  a  whole  colony  of  human 
beings,  and  a  world  beyond  that  entrance-door.  They 
send  for  no  clergyman  ;  they  hide  their  dirt  and  hope- 
lessness from  respectable  eyes ;  their  Bibles,  if  they 
ever  had  them,  are  in  pawn  with  their  clothes ;  they 
keep  no  Sabbaths  :  they  reverence  no  sanctuary.  Who 
has  found  them  out  before?  Possibly  the  City  Mis- 
sionary: but  here  they  live,  and  they  die.  He  m.ay 
even  have  pointed  many  of  their  number  to  Jesus, 
but  to  how  many  more  has  he  never  gained  access  ? 
— and  what  has  he  been  able  to  do  to  mend  their 
lohysical  estate? 

Such  is  the  true  field  for  the  Bible-woman.  Ere 
long  she  and  her  little  black  bag  will  find  a  welcome  on 
every  floor.  The  wonderful  Book,  to  buy  which  they 
scrape  their  halfpence  together,  brings  all  blessings  in 
its  train — shews  them  what  else  they  can  do /or  them- 
selves. All  true  reformation  for  the  working  classes 
must  begin  with  themselves,  whether  for  men  or  women, 


298  WORK^G  WITH  OTHEES. 

and,  we  believe,  in  their  lowest  grades ;  for  all  true 
reformations  have  worked  upwards.  One  room  cleaned 
and  tidied  in  this  rookery  will  prove  a  mission-room  to 
the  rest.  A  Lady  might  have  enforced  order  and 
cleanliness  in  vain  ;  if  she  had  penetrated  hither,  they 
would  not  have  believed  in  her  sanitary  discourse  ;  but 
now  their  haunts  have  been  explored  by  the  woman  of 
their  own  degree  (whom  they  are  not  ashamed  to 
admit),  the  lady  may  follow  and  hold  a  mothers'  class 
in  one  of  the  altered  rooms.  If  she  is  a  Bible-collector, 
her  good  taste  and  good-feeling  would  scarcely  interfere 
with  the  poor  woman's  work  in  demesnes  of  this  order ; 
but  even  here  the  love  of  Christ  can  so  open  the  heart, 
and  also  store  the  pocket,  by  implanting  more  provident 
habits — even  here  it  is  possible  that  the  Lady  might 
be  invited  (for  such  things  have  been)  to  take  a  penny 
free  subscription  to  the  Bible  Society. 

At  many  and  many  a  humble  door  we  are  certain 
that  sympathy  would  be  evinced  for  the  work  of  God 
throughout  the  world,  after  a  Bible-woman  and  a 
mothers'  class  have  been  a  few  months  at  work  in  the 
very  poorest  neighbourhoods  ;  and  if  ladies  attached  to 
the  Bible  Society  would  only  set  themselves  to  cultivate 
friendly  intercourse  with  our  lowly  agents  and  their 
guides,  they  might  clearly  learn  what  channels  of  new 
Bible-work  are  opening  every  day,  more  than  the  fresh 
workers  can  ever  undertake,  whether  in  the  sellins:  or 
the  reading  of  the  Scriptures  to  the  poor. 

We  must  n^t  omit  to  mention,  likewise,  the  livelier 
sympathy  that  will  be  elicited  in  any  neighbourhood 


WOEKING  WITH  OTHEES.  299 

where  a  Bible  and  Domestic  Female  Mission  is  effi- 
ciently carried  on.  This  will  arise  among  the  better 
classes  of  society,  who  may  have  hitherto  been  indiffer- 
ent to  reports  of  work  in  fields  abroad,  but  can  more 
easily  be  persuaded  to  "  look  at  home,''  and  see  what  is 
doing  and  has  been  done  by  the  Bible  in  their  own  im- 
mediate vicinity. 

We  believe  there  is  nothing  so  likely  to  prepare  a 
broad  and  solid  foundation  for  Feee  Contributions 
to  the  great  national  work  of  providing  the  Scriptures 
for  the  world,  as  this  tangible  "  beginning  at  home  !  " 

It  will  arrest  the  attention  of  thousands  of  persons 
who  have  never  thought  about  it.  The  surprise  to 
ourselves  is  that  the  imperfect  work  of  a  handful  of 
women,  as  imperfectly  recorded,  should  already  have 
done  this.  It  is  more  than  could  have  been  expected. 
It  should  lead  to  far  more  active  exertion  on  the  part 
of  Ladies'  Bible  Committees.  Have  not  the  Bible- 
women  pioneered  their  way  for  obtaining  more  vigorous 
help  to  the  Bible  Society,  which,  in  1859,  at  least,  ap- 
pears to  have  been  afforded  on  a  very  limited  scale — 
not  more  than  £2059  in  the  year  from  the  metropolis 
of  England,  including  a  population  of  three  millions, 
equal  to  that  of  the  whole  of  Scotland. 

The  Bible-women  are  not  allowed  to  collect  "free 
contributions."  They  are  placed,  in  general,  on  dis- 
tricts which  ladies  are  very  glad  to  give  up  to  them  ; 
and  in  most  neighbourhoods  the  districts  which  Ladjes 
can  take  are  never  long  together  fully  supplied  with 
collectors.     Even  in  the  exem23lary  and  well-arranged 


300  WOEKING  WITH  OTHERS. 

parish  of  Islington,  with  its  300  Visitors,  one  of  the 
Bible  Associations,  as  we  are  recently  informed,  has 
fifteen  districts  vacant.  The  Bible  Associations  in  this 
locality  have  always  worked  kindly  with  the  Bible- 
women-,  and  can  be  taken  as  a  specimen  of  how  things 
may  be  conducted ;  for  "  where  there  is  a  will  there  is 
a  way." 

But  in  such  a  city  as  London  there  may  be 
very  much  for  bible-women  to  do,  even  after 
Ladies  may  consider  a  district  to  be  fully  sup- 
plied WITH  the  Scriptures,  by  their  voluntary 
exertions. 

In  the  borough  of  Southwark,  it  was,  not  long  since, 
declared  that  a  large  Ladies'  Bible  Committee  had  for 
two  years  been  so  actively  engaged,  that  the  lower 
agency  was  not  at  all  wanted.  The  same  thing  was 
said  of  Westminster,  where,  also,  a  vigorous  Ladies' 
Committee  had  rendered  excellent  surf  ace- suj)ply,  and 
in  each  case  many  hundreds  of  cojDies  had  been  sold  to 
poor  subscribers ;  nevertheless,  it  is  equally  true  of 
both  districts,  that  down,  down,  deeper  down,  lay 
strata  of  untouched  humanity,  to  which  the  Bible- 
women  are  now  daily  finding  access,  and  where  they 
discover  that  when  the  Bible  was  supplied,  and  the 
Lady's  call  had  therefore  ceased,  there  remained  yet  a 
world  of  work  beyond,  which,  strange  to  say,  has 
proved  the  need  even  of  the  supply  of  more  Bibles. 

We  have  often  thought  that  our  heavenly  Guide  has 
been  j^leased  to  elicit  the  good  elements  in  this  plan, 
and  bring  them  out  of  one  another  hitherto,  shewing 


WOEKING  WITH  OTHERS.  301 

their  united  power  in  His  own  hand.  The  work  of  the 
Bible-woman  immediately  developed  her  need  of  an  in- 
timate helper  from  the  LADY-class,  whose  co-operation 
must  be  vital  in  its  spirituality.  The  Mission  will  not 
be  persevered  in  or  carried  out,  except  by  those  who 
have  the  love  of  Jesus  in  their  hearts.  It  has  no  power 
with  the  poor  short  of  this.  Merely  assembling  them 
in  mothers'  classes  to  work,  or  to  talk  to  them  about 
sanitary  improvements,  or  the  benefits  of  temperance, 
is  not  sufficient.  It  needs  the  Bible-woman  to  get 
them  together,  and  the  Lady's  influence  to  keep  them 
together,  and  so  to  teach  them  and  prepare  them  for 
teaching,  as  to  present  her  poor  sisters  to  the  Lord  as 
her  joy  and  crown  of  rejoicing.  If  her  work  spreads, 
she  will  necessarily  seek  the  help  of  educated  persons 
to  take  separate  departments  of  the  Mission. 

She  would  be  hindered  by  mere  ifiominal  help,  but 
never  by  any  that  is  vital  and  true.  The  Collectors 
for  the  Bible  Society  ought  to  be  her  earnest  friends. 
The  dry  ground  out  of  which  sprang  this  little  seed, 
which  now  shews  spreading  branches,  was  the  discour- 
agement experienced  in  attending  Ladies'  Bible  Com- 
mittees in  London.  No  sooner  formed  than  scattered ; 
the  work  disarranged  by  removal,  by  unpunctuality  in 
the  collectors,  or  absence  ;  their  members,  unwilling 
to  seek  subscriptions  at  larger  houses,  and  unable  to 
penetrate  beyond  ground-floors  in  lesser  ones, — off'ered, 
week  after  week,  such  dispiriting  contrast  to  flourish- 
ing country  associations,  and  seemed  so  inadequate  to 
the  work  that  wanted  doing,  that  we  took  refuge  in  the 


302  WORKING  WITH  OTHERS. 

experiment  of  paid  female  ai^cncy,  superintended  by 
voluntary  effort,  to  supply  the  lack  of  service. 

Are  any  of  these  decaying  committees  now  aroused 
to  complain  that  their  work  is  taken  from  them  ?  We 
must  look  upon  it  as  a  hopeful  sign  of  life.  Their 
work  is  to  come  out  of  this,  and  it  must  be  life-work 
— no  less  !  All  those  with  whom  it  is  already  life-work 
can  unite  with  us,  and  our  help  can  be  mutual.  They 
can  build  upon  our  foundation,  and  we  will  jojrfully 
aid  them  to  do  so. 

Shut  up  in  the  comforts  of  our  London  homes,  almost 
glorying  in  not  knowing  our  next-door  neighbours — 
accepting  the  declaration  as  true  that  we  could  not 
visit  or  trust  the  London  poor — how  thankful  have 
some  of  us  been  to  unlearn  this  wisdom,  to  find  within 
a  street  of  us  a  multitude  of  souls  waiting  for  teaching, 
waiting  for  rescue,  masses  ever  tending  inwards  from 
country  towns,  with  weary  hearts  to  which  access  could 
be  found  by  the  Bible-woman  through  the  Word  of 
God. 

Oh,  what  a  field  for  Ladies'  work,  especially  for 
Bible-work,  lies  open  now !  Let  them  look  in  some 
afternoon  at  one  of  our  Mission-rooms,  and  see  the  joy, 
the  brightness,  that  attends  the  further  raising  of  the 
fallen  and  degraded ;  and  how  truly  it  continues  to  be 
Bible-work,  even  amidst  all  accessaries  of  physical  ame- 
lioration. It  will  give  them  fresh  heart  and  hope  for 
the  work  in  their  own  districts.  We  hope  they  will  never 
again  feel  that  the  "Missing  Link"  is  an  intrusive  agency. 
''  Collision  "  with  it  ought  to  be  an  impossibility. 


CHAPTER  Xlir. 


"  Hitherto  the  Lord  hath  helped  via, 

"  Upon  the  stormy  waters 

The  bread  of  life  we  cast, 
With  cheerful  trust  believing 

It  shall  be  found  at  last. 
We  see  it  but  a  moment, 

Far  drifting  o'er  the  main, 
But  deathless,  undecaying, 

It  shall  be  found  again. 

**  One  eye  shall  ever  watch  it. 

The  eye  of  Him  who  sees 
Each  tiny  seedling  scatter'd 

By  summer's  floating  breeze ; 
The  eye  which  sees  the  coral 

As  year  by  year  it  grows. 
And  counts  the  myriad  crystals 

Of  the  Himalayan  snows. 

"  Yes,  on  the  stormy  waters 

We  cast  the  bread  of  life ; 
Vain  are  the  surging  billows. 

Vain  is  the  tempest's  strife. 
His  never-failing  promise 

Jehovah  will  fulfil, 
And  the  seed  be  found  in  glory 

When  those  proud  waves  are  still. 


"•'  And  do  you  really  believe  that  those  Bible-Missions 
are  going  on  so  well  as  is  represented  ? ''  says  a  com- 
23arative  stranger  to  our  work,  who  is  yet  a  general 
well-wisher  to  it.  ''I  hear  it  is  not  all  couleur  de  rose 
after  all,  but  that  there  are  a  great  many  drawbacks 
and  disappointments/'  And  so  there  truly  are,  dear 
friends  ;  for  what  human  work  was  ever  without  them  ? 
If  you  have  chiefly  thought  of  remarkable  persons  in 
it,  you  may  be  sure  that  God  has  worked  by  these  in 
spite  of  their  many  failures  and  imperfections ;  and  if 
glory  was  given  to  any  one  of  them  that  belonged  to 
Himself,  He  has,  according  to  His  wont,  laid  that 
instrument  aside,  and  taken  up  others  in  its  stead. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  record  of  the  first  year's 
work  of  Marian  in  St  Giles's  has  served  to  spread  the 
double  agency  of  the  Bible-woman  and  her  Lady,  in 
many  a  distant  locality,  as  well  as  in  other  London 
districts.  Other  Ladies  trained  other  women  from 
those  details,  and  funds  spontaneously  sent  to  the 
Editor  of  "  The  Book  and  its  Missions  "  were  without 
delay  employed  in  multiplying  such  agencies.  A 
further  chapter  will  sum  up  the  results  of  four  years' 
efforts,  but  first  it  seems  right  to  the  public  and  to 

Q 


306  rouK  years'  feuits. 

the  rapid  hold  it  has  taken  of  the  public  sympathies, 
it  almost  stands  by  itself  in  the  simplicity  and  nnob- 
trusiveness  of  the  method  by  which,  under  God,  it  has 
made  its  way.  Barely  four  years  have  elapsed  since 
the  first  Bible-woman  entered  Church  Lane,  but  during 
that  time  upwards  of  twenty  thousand  Bibles  have  been 
sold  to  the  poor  of  London  by  these  women,  whose 
num.ber  now  exceeds  a  hundred  and  fifty.  During  this 
space  of  time,  £1706  have  been  paid  by  the  poor  for 
those  Bibles ;  £501S  have  been  contributed  by  them 
towards  the  purchase  of  clothing,  beds,  and  blankets, 
and  the  public  have  given  upwards  of  £13,000  towards 
the  general  purposes  of  the  Mission.*  We  have  now 
three  Bible-women  at  work  within  our  parochial  limits, 
one  stationed  in  Dudley  Street,  one  in  Short's  Gardens, 
one  in  Store  Street.  I  am  anxious  to  see  a  fourth 
settled  on  the  western  confines  of  the  parish  in  Crown 
Street,  the  very  place  of  all  others  contemplated  in  the 
idea  of  the  Mission." 

"Before  I  leave  the" subject,  I  wish  to  make  it  quite 
clear  at  what  precise  objects  it  aims.  In  some  points, 
no  doubt,  as  could  hardly  be  prevented,  it  Avorks  in 
parallel  lines  with  existing  agencies.  In  other  points 
it  holds  ground  never  occupied  before.     Women  before 

*  Donations  received  from  June  1857,  to  Not.  20, 1 858,  £664     6     1 
„  „  Nov.  20,  1858,  to  Nov.  20,  1859,    1699  15  11 

„  „  Nov.  20,  1859,  to  Nov.  20,  1860,    6077  15     8 

And  for  the  present  half  year,  Nov.  20,  1860,  to 

May  20,  1861, 5288     9     0 


£13,730     6     8 


FOUE  years'  feuits.  307 

now  have  done  a  most  useful  work  in  collecting  pence 
for  Bibles ;  but  they  have  been  gentlewomen,  not  of 
the  poor.  The  Clergy,  Scripture  Readers,  City  Mis- 
sionaries, do  their  work  of  direct  evangelisation  by  the 
Word  of  God  and  prayer.  But  as,  in  our  own  affairs, 
guided  by  an  unerring  instinct,  we  are  apt  to  go  to 
men  for  strength  and  to  women  for  sympathy :  so 
man's  work  in  spiritual  things  is  rather  argumentative, 
authoritative,  admonitory ;  woman's,  persuasive,  sug- 
gestive, sisterly." 

"  In  temporal  matters  the  boundary  line  is  yet  more 
distinct.  To  cut  out  a  frock,  to  mend  a  coat,  to  make 
a  cup  of  broth,  to  boil  a  pudding,  to  tidy  a  room,  to 
wash  a  shirt,  to  dress  a  baby,  are  not  exactly  the 
things  in  which  men  feel  qualified  to  give  advice,  and 
by  no  means,  as  a  matter  of  course,  enter  into  the  per- 
sonal experience,  even  of  the  District  Visitor.  But 
here  the  Bible-woman  is  on  her  own  ground ;  she  is 
able  at  once  to  win  her  way  to  confidence  and  grati- 
tude by  hastening  to  instruct  the  enormous  ignorance 
of  the  poor  in  the  commonest  duties  of  life  ;  while,  as 
she  smooths  the  pillow  of  the  sick  mother,  she  can 
soothe  the  heart  with  words  of  Jesus  Christ,  and 
through  tact  and  kindneos  jorepare  the  way  for  the 
Gospel  in  trying  to  be  a  saviour  of  the  body.  The 
system  is  now  spreading  its  network  over  the  chief 
provincial  towns  ;  with  some  modifications  it  will  pro- 
bably be  introduced  into  villages ;  and  I  ever  see  more 
reason  not  only  for  using  it  as  an  integral  element  in 
my  own  parochial  system,  but  for  considering  it,  even 


808  FOUR  years'  fruits. 

with  Eaffged  Schools  and  Eefuges,  as  among  the  chief 
discoveries  of  the  age." 

The  la|3se  of  a  year  and  a  half  since  the  publication 
of  the  little  book  entitled  "  The  Missing  Link/'  an- 
nouncing first  experiments,  has  now  tested  the  growth 
and  permanence  of  the  work,  and  evidenced,  as  we  hope, 
the  continued  guidance  and  blessing  of  God  upon  it. 

In  an  age  abounding  in  benevolent  efforts  for  the 
good  of  others,  this  mission  still  distinctively  desires  to 
base  its  moral  and  sanitary  reforms  on  a  Bible  foun- 
dation. 

AVe  shall  not  trouble  our  readers  with  many  figures, 
but  a  few  statistics  are  necessary  for  the  use  of  those 
who  have  commenced  the  same  work  in  districts 
beyond  London.  It  may  be  as  well  to  repeat  the 
names  of  the  Friends  in  Council,  who  from  the 
time  the  missions  began  to  expand  in  their  third  year, 
have  kindly  afforded  their  sanction  and  guidance  to  the 
growing  work: — 

COUNCIL  OF  FRIENDS  FOR  THE  BIBLE  MISSIONS. 

President — The  Right  Hon.  the  Earl  of  Shaftesbury. 
Treasurer —Iho  Hon.  Arthur  Kinnaird,  M.P. 


Members. 


The  Rev.  A.  W.  Thorold. 
The  Rev.  W.  Pennefather. 
The  Rev.  Dr  Hanulton. 
The  Rev.  W.  Arthur. 
H.  Hopley  White,  Esq. 
W.  Coles,  Esq. 


J.  H.  Fordham,  Esq. 
The  Countess  of  Gainsborough. 
The  Countess  Dowager  of  Ducie. 
The    Hon.     Mrs    Arthur    Kin- 
naird. 
Mrs  Pennefather. 


Honorary  Secretary — Mrs  Ranyard. 


FOUR  years'  fruits.  309 

These  Friends,  as  was  said  in  "  The  Missing  Link," 
Chapter  XXIII.,  have  all  a  genuine  and  heart  interest 
in  this  practical  scheme.  They  from  time  to  time 
meet  and  consult  with  some  of  the  Ladies  eno-aoed 
in  it.  The  accounts  of  money  received  are  submitted 
to  their  cognisance  and  inspection,  by  the  Honorary 
Secretary,  who  retains  the  general  superintendence  of 
the  Mission,  as  having  commenced  it,  but  who  consults 
their  varied  views  in  relation  to  every  movement  of 
importance.  This  arrangement  verifies  the  business 
details  in  the  public  eye. 

The  accounts  of  thirty-seven  districts,  for  the  year 
1859,  occupied  but  two  pages  in  the  former  little 
volume.  Those  interested  in  details  which  concern  the 
year  1860  will  find  them  given  at  length  in  the  De- 
cember double  number  of  the  "Book  and  its  Mis- 
sions" for  that  year.  We  shall  here  only  present  the 
abstract  of  Keports  made  to  "  Friends  in  Council "  for 
the  year  1860,  and  the  halfoi  the  present  year  1861,  as 
certified  by  a  professional  auditor,  who  examines  every 
book  and  voucher  at  frequent  and  convenient  intei^vals 
throughout  the  year,  on  the  principle  that  it  is  unwise 
to  defer  an  audit  till  within  a  few  days  of  presenting 
the  balance-sheet  to  the  public. 

comparative  account  of  receipts. 

1S60.  One-half  of  1S61. 
Donations  to  Special  Dis- 
tricts     £2843  17  5     ...             ...  ...  £2517  14    3 

Donations  to  General  Fund    3:133  IS  3     ...  ...  ...  2770  14    9 


.Carryforward,     £0^77  15    8     ...  ...  ...  £5288    9    0 


310 


FOUR  YEAES    FRUITS. 


I860. 

Brought  forward.     £6077  15  8  ... 

Payments  of  Poor  for  Bibles       749  18  7  ... 
Payments     for     Clothing, 

Bedding,  drc.     -'    -    -    -    2353    2  2  ... 

Total      -    -£9180  16    5     ... 

The  total  Expendittire  of 


the  year  being  - 


8428  18     5 


One-half  of  1861. 

£5288    9  0 
458  14  1 

1918     6  8 


£7665    9    9 


Expenditure    -    -    7523    6    6 


Certified  this  day,  28th  May  1861.— David  Alison. 


Those  who  order  from  their  booksellers  "  The  Book 
and  its  Missions,"  price  3s.  3d.  a-year,  will  remark  on 
the  cover  of  that  cheap  periodical  (which  gives  the 
current  monthly  history  of  our  Missions),  that  dona- 
tions seem  about  equally  divided  between  those  sent  to 
the  General  Fund  and  those  intended  for  Special  Dis- 
tricts. 

In  order  that  our  subscribers  may  have  a  clear  view 
of  this  subject,  we  give  them  for  the  present  half-year 
a  list  in  three  divisions, — 1,  of  the  Districts  supported 
by  Special  Donations ;  2,  of  the  Districts  entirely  sup- 
ported by  the  General  Fund ;  and,  3,  of  those  which 
depend  chiefly  on  the  General  Fund,  but  have  some 
Local  support,  luhich  needs  to  he  increased.  This 
division  may  aid  those  who  wish  to  give  us  help  in 
money,  to  select  a  Special  District,  and  also  shew  that 
the  Geneeal  Fund  must  needs  be  continually  supplied 
in  order  to  meet  its  manifold  existent  claims,  to  pioneer 
in  New  Districts,  and  to  assist  in  needy  ones,  as  well 
as  to  support  a  moderate  but  indispensable  Central 
expenditure. 


FOUR  years'  FEUITS. 


811 


DISTRICTS  SUPPORTED  BY  SPECIAL  DONATIONS. 

Half-teak's  Account  to  20tii  Mat  1861. 


EC 
Bishopsgate  8ti-eet 

W.C. 

Parker  Street     

Bagniif^e  Wells 

Bl'Onisbury    

Sliip  Yard    

Plough  Court 

Coveut  Garden  

Drury  Lane,  No   2 
Brunswick  bqua".  e 
N. 

Islington 

Hoxton    

BriU 

N.E. 

Dove  Row  

Club  Row 

iShta-editch 

Cambridge  Heath 

Upper  Cbiptim  

Rose  Street 

Hackney  Wick 

E. 
George  Yar.l  

S.E. 

Snow's  Fields 

Maze  Pond 

London  Road 

East  Gi-eenwich 

S. 

New  Cut 

Upper  Norwood    .. 

SW. 

Sloane  Street 

Tothill  Street 

Haymarket 

Upper  C'lelsea  

W. 
Grosvenor  Square 

Campden  Hill    

Gray's  Buildings  .. 
Jlarylebone  Court 

Brentford    

Mayfair    

rad'iington 

Berwick  Street 

N.W. 

Lisson  Grove 

Nightingale  Street 


£    s.     d. 


12  1 
8  12 
8  14 

13  5 
10    0 


25     5     2 


25    0     0 

20     5     3 


14    8    7 

24' "6   0 


40    0    0 


36    9    1 
18  11    0 


8  11     2 
21    0    0 


!     316     7     3 


£    s.     d. 
50     0     0 


24     2  0 

28     1  6 

130     1  3 

110  13  7 

55     7  7 

30     0  0 

30     0  0 

10  17  4 


32  13 
1     1 

100    0 


17  18 

28    3 


101     2 
6-2  11 


35  0  0 

50  5  0 

20  0  0 

35  0  0 

25  0  0 


29  17    0 
23    5    0 


21     5     0 
25    0    0 


10    0    0 


23  4  0 

45  0  0 

10  0  0 

89  3  1 


66  6  0 

45  10  0 

61  0  0 

45  5  0 

36  16  0 

25  0  0 

169  7  8 

20  0  0 


Expenditure. 


£     S.      d. 
30    0    0 


33    3 
25    0 


18  0  0 

25  0  0 

15  0  0 

15  0  0 


35     0  0 

24    0  0 

11  10  0 

24     0  0 

5     0  0 

24    0  0 

29  17  0 

15    0  0 


15  0  0 

5  0  0 

25  0  0 

10  0  0 


40  11     0 
45    0    0 


3     1 


60    0  0 

35     0  0 

30     0  0 

30     0  0 

55  15  0 


169    7 
20    0 


65    0     0 
62  11    6 


17v3  16     0  I  13:15  IS     3 


Balance  i 
Land. 


£    s.  d. 

20    0  0 

7    2  0 

25     2  7 

68  13  6 

27    7  8 

43  13  2 

10  0  0 
30    0  0 

3    14 

7  13  6 

11  6  2 
85    0  0 

25     0  0 

46  10  3 

8  10  0 
25  8  7 
20    0  0 


6  5  0 
20  0  0 
15     0    0 


21    4    1 
3     3    0 


14    0 
10  ""6     0 


B12 


FOUR  YEARS    FRUITS. 


OISTRICTS  ENTIRELY  SUPPORTED  FROM  GENERAL  FUND. 


Carried  forward,      £:i06  10    0 


EXPENDITURE. 

EXPEXmXUUE. 

E.G. 

Brought  forward, 

£3tj(5  JO    0 

Cow  Cross . 

.    £20    0 

0 

London  Hospital 

.       15    0     0 

Tower  Hill 

.       24    0 

0 

Isle  of  Dogs 

.       25     0     0 

Amwell  Street  . 

.      25    0 

0 

S.E. 

W.C 

Lant  Street 

.       35     0     0 

Bed  Lion  Square 

6    0 

0 

Union  Street     . 

14     0     0 

N.E 

Friar  Street 

.       13     0     0 

Haggerstone      . 

.       35    0 

0 

Falstaff  Yard     . 

8     0     0 

Green  Street      . 

.      31  10 

0 

Peekham 

5     0     0 

Hoxton  Old  Town 

.      16  10 

0 

Bermondsey  Wall     . 

.       24  10     0 

Coventry  Street 

.      19    0 

0 

S. 

King  Edward  Street 

.       26  10 

0 

Wat  rloo  Road 

.      10    0    0 

Stonebridge 

.      23    0 

0 

St  George's  Road 

.      15    0    0 

Pelham  Street  . 

.      25    0 

0 

SW. 

E. 

Millbank    . 

.      22    0    0 

Whitechapel      . 

.       19    0 

0 

N.W. 

Wapping    . 

.      14    0 

0 

Cumberland  Market 

.       19  10    0 

St  George's  East 

.       23    0 

0 

Bedford  New  Town  . 

.       20     0    0 

£532  10    0 


The  above  are  therefore  especially  oiDen  to  help,  as  well 


IS  the  following  :- 


ISTRICTS  PARTLY  SUPPORTED  BY  SPECIAL  DONATIONS, 

AND  NEEDING  FURTHER  HELP. 

Half-year's  Account  to  20th  Mat  1861. 


E.G. 

Holborn  

Clerkenwell    

Exmonth  Street   .. 

Moor  Lane  

Goswc;ll  Street  

Whitecross  Street.. 

Long  Alley 

Old  St.,  St  Luke's.. 

Hatton  Garden 

York  Road  

Verulam  Street 

W.C. 

StGiles's,No.  1    ) 
Do,       No.  2    f  •■ 

Ckenies  Street  

Newport  Market  .. 

Carried  forward 


£    s.  d. 

3  5  0 
2  5  0 
5  IJ  0 

4  5  6 
12     0  0 

0  10  0 

9     5  6 

2     0  0 

2     4  6 


12     2 


90  18     6 

21     5    0 
4  19    6 


179  14    0 


£    p.  d. 

14  15  0 

".3   15  0 

37  10  0 

10  U  6 

16  0  0 
30  10  0 

9  ]i)  0 

17  0  0 
13  15  6 
13  17  0 

5     7  6 


53  15     0 
32    0    6 


312  11 


Expenditure. 

£     S.    d. 

18     0     0 

26     0     0 

43     0    0 

15     0     0 

28    0    0 

31     0     0 

18  15    6 

19    0    0 

16    0    0 

23     0     0 

17  10     0 

125    0    0 

75     0    0 

37    0    0 

492    6    6 

Each  of  these 
lines  wi  11  probably 
be  picked  out  by- 
some  one  who  has 
reason  to  feel  a 
personal  interest 
in  the  district  re- 
ferred to,  and  we 
hope  all  will  ask 
themselves  if  they 
can  give  money, 
thought,  time,  or 
prayer,  to  aid  the 


FOUR  YEARS    FRUITS. 


813 


Districts  I'Artly  Supported  by  Special  Donations,  he— Continued. 


B  -might  forward, 
Giiij'i'  Inn  Lane  ... 

Cromer  Street    

Gordon  S(iuai'e  

M;lf  rd  Lane  ..  

Druiy  Lan  ■ 

N. 

HolLnvj^y,  Lower... 

Do        Ui,*i3r 

Lower  Hoxtou  

King's  Cross  

Hadley,  Barnet 

N.E. 

BethnalGr.,No.l  ) 
Do.,         No.  2  ) 

Turville  Street  

Victoria  Pai'k 

t^pitalfield,s 

Hackney 

Waterloo  Town 

Kiugslund  

E. 

Aldgate 

Petticoat  Ljjuc 

Ratcliflfe  

Centi-al  Stepney    ... 

Lower  Stepney\ 

Shadwell 

Limehouse 

Mile  End 

Poplar 

Black  wall    

Vict  Docks,  No.  1  ) 

Do.,         No.  '2f 

Limehouse  Fields.,. 

Bow  Ciimmon    

Bromley 

S.E. 

Bermondsey  

Kent  Street     

Hoz-sleydowii 

S. 

Wvndham  Road    ... 

AValworth    

Gravel  Lane    

S.W. 
WeBtmiiister  

Carried  forward, 


1  10  6 

9     3  6 

1  12  6 

1  10  0 

20    0  0 


14    0 


0    3 

2  12 
4  10 
0  10 
0     1 


'0  5 
16  12 
27    U 

3  7 
10  0 
iO    0 

2  17 

1  5 
12  12 

5    0 


2    0 
8    4 

4  15 


J9  18 
0  5 
11  10 


.U  id  0 

6  3  6 

6  0  0 

8  i.8  3 


2    0    « 


£    s.  d. 

312  11  6 

4    7  0 

22  14  0 

16  15  0 

12  11  6 


24  10 
37  15 
15     5 


IS     9  6 

24  16  6 

12  17  0 

22  10  0 

20     0  0 


53    6  0 

22    6  8 

42     7  6 

10  10  0 

19     9  6 

15  18  6 

18  10  0 


4  15  0 
0  7  6 
8     0  0 

11  13  0 

16  0  0 
25    0  0 

12  2  6 

17  15  0 

5  0  0 
2    0  0 

36  10  0 

34  16  6 

10    0  0 

21     6  9 


8  16 

9  15    0 
7    0    0 


467  19    4  '  1008     1     6 


Exiieuditure. 


£ 

492 

5 

32 

50 
24 
45 


15  0 
17  0 


15 


15  0  0 

34  0  0 

14  9  6 

24  0  0 

40  0  0 


60  0  0 


22  10  0 

45  0  0 

15  0  0 
20  0  0 

16  0  0 
19  0  0 


0 
0 

35  0  0 
0  0 
0  0 
0  0 
0  0 
0  0 


17  12  4 

7  0  0 

48  0  0 

40  0  0 

15  0  0 

25  0  0 


26  10  0 
46  0  0 
2a  0  0 


28  0  0 
10  0  0 
18  10  0 


1476  0  10 


work  of  God  in 
these  Mission- 
rooms.  Tliey  are 
eacli  tiny  centres 
of  light  in  dark 
places,  but  when 
we  think  of  the 
sparks  they  are 
kindling  in  many 
a  poor  home  a- 
round  them,  who 
will  not  cast  a 
brand  to  keep 
them  burning?  If 
it  were  only  for 
the  forbearance, 
which  the  gospel 
is  teaching  the 
wives  reclaimed 
in  those  Mission- 
rooms  to  shew  to- 
wards their  poor 
drunken  h  usbands 
— one  would  never 
deprive  them  of 
these  quiet  havens 
of  sympathy, 
found  with  the 
B  i  b  1  e-w  0  m  a  n. 
"My  husband  has 


314 


FOUR  YEAES   FRUITS. 


Districts  partly  Sl'ppokted  by  Special  Donations,  he— Continued. 


Brought  forward, 

Pimlico    

Chelsea 

Vauxhall 

Rochester  Row 

Cobimrg  Row 

Ebury  Street 

Brompton   

Battersea 

Belgravia , 

Waterwoi-ks    , 

South  Kensington.., 

W. 


Edge  ware  Road 

Hanover  Square    ... 

MaidaHill 

Percy    

Fitzroy  Square 

Jenning's  Buildings 
Middlesex  Hospital 
Bell  Street 


N.W. 

Camden  Town  

Somer's  Town  .... 
Kentish  Town  .... 
Drummond  Street. 

Agar  Town  

Gospel  Oak  Fields. 

Kilburn    

Portman  Market  . 


£  s.  d. 

467  19  4 

14  2  0 


0  5  0 
7  4  2 
7  4  0 

15  0  0 

6  15  0 

10  2  6 

25  15  0 

1  11  0 
6  0  0 

24  1  6 


14  11  6 

3  16  0 

45  2  6 

22  5  6 

10  14  6 

10  0  0 
0  5  0 

11  8  0 


4  6 
17  11 
13  16 

1  11 

2  0 
7  12 

13  11 
29  7 

793  18 


Help  from 
(Jeueral  Fmid. 


£  5.  d. 

1008  1  6 

10  18  0 

9  15  0 

27  15  10 

19  16  0 

5  0  0 

12  0  0 

4  17  6 
9  5  0 

40  9  0 

31  0  0 

5  0  0 


20  8  6 

20  4  0 

14  17  6 

41  14  6 

7  5  6 

27  0  0 

29  15  0 

12  12  0 


18  13  6 

28  9  0 

21  3  6 
31  18  9 

22  0  0 
18  8  0 

2  9  0 

18  19  0 


Expenditure. 


£  S.  d 

1476  0  10 

ti5  0  0 

10  0  0 

35  0  0 


27  0  0 

20  0  0 

18  15  0 

15  0  0 

35  0  0 

42  0  0 

37  0  0 

29  1  6 


35  0  0 

24  0  0 

6)  0  0 

64  0  0 

18  0  0 

37  0  0 

30  0  0 

24  0  0 


23  0  0 
46  0  0 
35  0  0 
33  10  0 

24  0  0 
26  0  0 
16  0  0 


taken  my  gown. 
shoes,  and  sbawl, 
to  pawn — which  I 
had  been  earning 
SO  gladly,  that  I 
niio'ht  (TO  to  the 
tea-meeting,"  said 
a  suffering  wife 
not  long  since. 
"He  may  take  my 
bonnet,  too,  if  he 
will,  but  there  is 
one  thing  he  can 
never  take  from 
me,  and  that  is, 
'  the  peace  that 
passeth  all  under- 
standing.' I  shall 
pray  that  he  may 
find  it,  and  I  yet 
believe  he  will." 


The  publication  of  this  book  has  been  delayed  since 
its  first  advertisement  until  the  time  when,  accord- 
ing to  the  habits  of  life  in  cities,  many  of  the  ladies  to 
whom  it  is  addressed  are  seeking  country  retirement, 
at  a  distance  from  London.  Will  leisure  hours  be  ill 
employed  by  fair  fingers  in  preparing  what  will  sell  at 
the  stalls  in  the  Soho  Bazaar*  for  the  benefit  of  these 


The  following  is  a  list  of  articles  acceptable  for  the  use  of  these 


FOUE  YEAES    FEUITS. 


315 


Missions  ?  and  would  not  the  owners  of  broad  lands 
and  noble  houses,  or  wanderers  over  mountains  and  by 
seas,  be  happier  in  their  enjoyments  if  they  had  some 
personal  care  for  the  dark  alleys  and  courts  they  leave 
behind,  where  weary  eyes  look  ever  on  blank  walls, 
where  no  leafy  tree  casts  its  shadow  on  green  sward  ; 
but  where  still  the  Bible-woman's  visit  and  hand  of 
help  may  be  provided — by  a  little  of  their  spare  gold 
— by  some  determined  self-denial  of  extravagance  in 
their  dress?  We  have  more  than  one  Mission  sup- 
ported by  such  means. 

Oh,  that  it  might  be  possible  that  the  natural  sym- 
pathy inducing  this  might,  for  their  own  sakes,  react 
upon  themselves — cause  them  in  a  quiet  hour  to  take 
up  the  Book  they  have  so  long  thought  a  dead  letter, 
and  see  if  it  has  not  a  message  for  them !     Can  they 


Missions.  A  place  of  sale  has  recently  been  arranged  for  tliein  at 
Stalls  263,  264,  265,  in  the  Long  Dean  Street  Room  of  the  Soho 
Bazaar. 


Baby  Linen  for  the  Poor. 

Embroidery. 

Irish  Crochet. 

Sofa  Cushions.  Anti  -  Macas- 
sars. 

Worsted  Work  of  every  descrip- 
tion. 

Ladies'  Worked  Sleeves  and 
Collars. 


Fancy  Pin  and  Toilet  Cushions. 

Crochet  Parasol  Covers. 

Ladies'  and  Children's  Night- 
caps, and  Under  Linen. 

Children's  Sun  Bonnets. 

Kettle  Holders,  Work  Bags,  and 
Watch  Pockets. 

Needle  and  Thread  Cases. 

Babies'  Shoes.     Bead  Work. 


These  may  be  sent  (carriage  paid,  if  possible),  and  the  price  of 
material  marked  on  them,  to  13  Hunter  Street,  Brunswick  Square, 
as  usual.  They  must  be  seen  by  the  Secretary  before  they  are  for- 
warded for  sale. 


316  FOUR  YEAES'  FEUITS. 

hear  its  warning,  that  the  "time  is  short,"  and  that 
the  Master  calls,  and  yet  idle  away  the  long  days  of  a 
summer  that  may  be  their  last  on  earth  ? 

"  And  they  tliat  were  ready  went  in  with  him  to  the 
marriage,  and  the  door  luas  shut."  It  is  not  shut  yet, 
dear  Eeader.  It  may  be  that  in  the  pages  you  have 
opened  you  will  see  your  Saviour,  and  that  He  will  save 
you — from  your  present  self.  He  gave  his  life  to  save 
you  ;  give  Him  "  life-work"  in  return. 

Are  there  no  young  girls  in  the  town  or  village  near 
which  you  reside,  who,  working  at  factories  in  the  day- 
time, wander  about  the  streets  in  the  evenino^,  having; 
nothing  to  do?  Can  you  hear  of  a  respectable  and 
pious  woman,  who  would,  as  your  agent,  give  two  or 
three  hours  every  evening  to  call  in  these  wandering 
girls  by  turns  ?  You  can  take  a  Mission-room,  in  some 
place  easily  accessible  to  them,  and  offer  to  teach  them 
reading  and  writing  for  twopence  a-night.  They  will 
value  the  instruction  more  than  if  offered  gratis ;  and 
thus  the  expenses  of  the  room  may  be  cleared. 

A  lady  should  receive  them  at  first,  and  form  the 
class.  You  will  soon  find  that  they  want  teaching 
something  more  than  to  read  and  write.  Many  of 
them  will  not  know  how  to  use  a  needle,  and  instruc- 
tion in  the  art  of  cutting  out  clothing  may  follow.  Do 
not  allow  any  evening  to  pass  without  a  portion  of 
Scripture,  pleasantly  read,  meeting  their  ear ;  and  close 
the  class  with  a  fervent  prayer  that  the  message  from 
Xxod  may  enter  their  hearts. 

Your  work  will  grow  on  your  hands.      Your  "  Miss- 


FOUR  YEAKS'  FRUITS.  ol7 

ing  Liuk/'  if  you  have  found  the  right  one,  will  per- 
petually supply  you  with  fresh  material ;  and  if  your 
health  and  opportunities  allow,  (if  not,  you  can  secure 
the  services  of  some  friend,)  you  will  soon  find  your 
pupils  willing  to  accept  an  invitation  to  a  Sunday 
afternoon  Bible-class,  which  will  lead  you  to  an  interest 
in,  and  knowledge  of,  the  way  in  which  they  pass  the 
rest  of  God's  holy  day.  In  a  single  week,  if  God  give  you 
grace,  you  may  have  made  a  place  for  yourself  in  many 
a  young  heart,  and  have  established  a  sympathy  which 
will  draw  it  upwards  instead  of  downwards,  for  a  life- 
long career  of  good  instead  of  evil.  Imagine  the  in- 
fluence of  half-a-dozen  ladies,  each  with  the  love  of 
Christ  in  their  hearts,  working  by  turns  in  this  way 
among  a  set  of  neglected  factory  girls.  Conceive,  if 
you  can,  the  delight  of  their  discovery,  that  they  are 
making  missionaries  among  these  girls  to  each  other, 
and  are  constantly  increasing  their  own  reponsibility. 
This  is  a  work  that  will  create  its  own  monitors  and 
teachers ;  but  let  the  "  rivet "  of  your  undertaking  be, 
that  it  is  a  Bible-Mission.  All  domestic  good  will 
come  out  of  it.  You  may  thus  eventually  reform  the 
morals  and  the  habits  of  a  district.  The  present  race 
of  ignorant,  reckless  mothers,  are  forming  the  race  of 
daughters  ;  and  it  is  become  imperative  on  us  to  "  look 
at  home  "  if  we  would  continue  consistently  to  send  the 
gospel  abroad. 

The  enemy  is  coming  in  like  a  flood,  in  the  im- 
morality and  drunkenness  of  women.  It  is  an  increas- 
ing evil,  noted  by  bishops  in  their  charges,  and  by 


818  FOUE  YEAES'  FEUITS. 

political  economists,  with  surprise.  Men  cannot  alter 
it  by  prescriptive  laws  ;  but  the  influence  of  their 
sisters  may  in  town  and  country. 

The  week  now  never  passes  in  which  we  do  not  hear 
of  Bible-Missions  found  needful,  and  commencing  in 
some  large  provincial  town.  It  may  require  another 
book  to  chronicle  the  story  of  their  rise  and  progress. 
The  Christian  philanthropist  may  thank  God  for  the 
power  of  the  English  press ;  for  our  language  is  now 
the  vernacular  of  an  eighth  of  the  earth's  population. 

In  what  wonderful  times  do  we  live!  in  nothing 
more  wonderful  than  in  the  transformations  they  are 
witnessing  of  those  who,  from  the  lowest  depths,  are 
being  "  turned  from  darkness  unto  light,  and  from  the 
■power  of  Satan  imto  God,  that  they  may  receive  for- 
giveness of  sins,  and  inheritance  among  them  which 
are  sanctified  by  faith"  (Acts  xxvi.  18.) 

Though  this  last  chapter,  of  necessity,  includes  sta- 
tistics, we  feel  impelled  to  add  to  these  a  fact  which  is 
only  an  example  of  many  others  like  it  known  to  our 
Lady  Superintendents.  "About  ten  days  after  I  last 
wrote  you,"  says  a  friend  who  wishes  to  be  nameless,  "we 
invited  the  poor  men  who  attended  our  'Fathers'  Bible- 
reading'  to  tea,  in  our  Mission-room,  requesting  they 
would  bring  with  them  any  of  their  friends  in  the  dis- 
trict whom  they  could  persuade  to  come,  expressing  the 
wish  they  should  endeavour  to  gather  them  from  that 
class  (which,  alas  !  teems  in  our  streets)  who  never  at- 
tend any  meeting  or  i^lace  of  worship — the  Sabbath 
breaker,  the  drunkard,  and  the  swearer. 


rOUE  YEARS'  FRUITS.  319 

*^  About  sixty  assembled.    I  was  at  the  room  to  receive 

them.     The  poor  man  G ,  mentioned  in  my  former 

report,  was  one  of  the  first  to  arrive,  bringing  with  him 
seven  others.  On  sitting  down,  he  remarked  to  these 
men,  '  I  feel  this  room  to  be  my  home  ;  the  happiest 
hour  in  my  life  was  spent  here,  for  it  was  here  I  fomid 
my  Saviour.'  Others  coming  in,  I  lost  the  further  re- 
marks he  made,  but  I  could  see  he  was  pointing  to  the 
texts  hanging  on  the  walls,  and  contrasting  the  appear- 
ance of  the  room  with  the  public-house  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  street. 

"  Tea  being  finished,  which  they  all  seemed  much  to 
enjoy,  a  hymn  was  sung  and  prayer  offered,  and  an  ad- 
dress given  by  our  kind  and  good  lay  friend  Captain 

M ,   who  jDresided ;    two   speeches  followed   from 

City  Missionaries,  who  kindly  attended  for  that  pur- 
pose, and  then  the  men  themselves  were  invited,  if  they 
had  anything  to  say,  to  speak. 

"  Five  of  the  number  responded,  each  one  bearing  his 
testimony  to  the  power  of  the  grace  of  God  in  chang- 
ing the  heart,  and  leading  the  sinner  into  a  different 
course  of  life,  urging  upon  all  present  who  '  had  never 
read  their  Bibles  to  do  so,  and  give  up  their  evil 
habits,  and  pray  to  God,  and  God  would  bless  them, 
and  their  homes  would  be  happier,  and  somehow  every- 
thing would  become  different  like.'  In  the  best  way 
they  could,  and  with  much  earnestness,  they  invited  all 
to  come  to  the  Saviour,  and  partake  '  of  the  blessings 
they  were  enjoying.'  The  evening  was  one  of  much 
gladness  to  all.     God  had  been  felt  to  be  amongst  us 


320  FOUR  YEAES'  FEUITS. 

of  a  truth,  and  many  said,  '  It  was  good  to  have  been 
there/ 

"  I  was  afterwards  informed  we  had  had  a  great  many- 
listeners  in  the  street,  who  had  not  the  courage  to  be 
seen  to  come  in ;  and  one  man  remarked,  upon  com- 
ing out  of  the  public-house,  attracted  by  the  singing, 
'Well,  after  all,  I  think  they  Ve  the  best  of  it  up 
there/  Several  came  to  our  next  Bible-reading,  and 
one  of  the  number  has  not  been  absent  a  single  evening 
since. 

"A  little  time  after  this,  one  of  these  workins^  men 
asked  me  *  if  I  did  not  think  it  would  be  very  good  to 
have  a  special  prayer-meeting  of  men,  to  intercede  with 
God  on  behalf  of  some  of  the  poor  wretched  outcasts 
in  our  street?'    At  his  suggestion  we  met  the  following 

Monday  week — Captain  M again  kindly  presiding 

— and  a  most  interesting  and  delightful  hour  we  spent, 
(we  were  about  thirty  in  number.)  And  it  has  resulted 
in  the  holding  of  a  '  Working-man's  Prayer-meeting ' 
every  Monday  evening,  to  which  God  has  given  much 
blessing.  Our  strength  is  in  prayer.  One  poor  fellow 
said  to  me  a  few  days  since,  '  I  am  never  so  happy  as 
when  I  am  praying.  I  seem  to  have  more  courage  to 
act  for  God  after  I  have  been  praying.'  And  there 
are  three  or  four  whom  we  believe  to  be  earnest  work- 
ers amongst  these  joraying  men — men  who  do  not 
shrink  from  avowing  themselves  on  the  Lord's  side, 
though  they  'are  jeered  and  scoffed  at'  by  their  fel- 
ow-workmen ;  and  to  the  sincere  and  earnest  men 


FOUR  YEARS   FRUITS.  32 1 

and  women  of  this  class  do  lue  look  more  than  to 
any  other  human  agency  for  the  bringing  in  of  the 
godless  midtitude  around  us. 

"We  have  already  had  a  great  helper  in  the  man 
G .  God  has  blessed  him,  and  made  him  a  bless- 
ing. 'Whom  the  Lord  loveth  he  chasteneth/  and  He 
has  seen  meet  to  lay  this  poor  man  on  a  bed  of  suffer- 
ing. He  has  recently  undergone  a  severe  operation  in 
one  of  the  hospitals.  In  a  letter  to  '  Jane/  he  wrote, '  I 
do  bless  God  for  the  day  I  first  came  to  your  meeting. 
I  thought  of  Jesus  Christ's  sufferings  on  the  cross  for 
me.  While  I  was  in  such  pain,  I  prayed  to  Him, 
and  He  helj)ed  me  to  bear  it.  What  were  my  suffer- 
ings to  His  ;  that  He  bore  for  me,  for  my  sins  ?  If  it 
pleases  God  to  spare  my  life,  and  let  me  go  home  again, 
I  will  pray  and  strive  to  lead  my  poor  feUow-creatures 
to  Jesus  more  than  I  've  done  yet.' 

"  One  man  B ,  who  had  been  brought  to  the  room 

by  G ,  and  who  up  to  that  time   was   a  fearful 

swearer,  visited  him  twice  a-week  during  his  stay  in 
the  hospital.  And  one  evening  he  came  to  the  Bible- 
reading,   bringing  a  request  from    G ,   'that   we 

should  remember  him  in  our  prayers,  and  thank  God 
on  his  behalf  for  His  presence  and  support  in  the  hour 
of  his  great  trial.'  I  was  much  pleased,  though  some- 
what surprised,  to  receive  such  a  message  through  that 

man,  and  I  said  to  him,  '  How  very  pleasant,  B ,  to 

be  the  bearer  of  such  a  message  !'  '  Yes,  ma'am,'  he  re- 
plied ;  '  but  two  months  ago  I  would  not  have  brought 

X 


322  FOUR  years'  fruits. 

sucli  a  one,  or  listened  to  it/  Now  he  is  trying  to  in- 
duce  others  to  come  with  him,  and  *  hear  how  Jesus 
Christ  died  for  such  as  ive.' 

"  Another  man,  whom  for  three  months  we  had  been 
teaching  to  read,  was  sent  by  his  employer  to  a  'job 
of  work  in  the  country  ; '  he  told  me  on  his  return  how 
difficult  he  had  found  it  '  to  try  and  keep  up  his  read- 
ing,' for  his  fellow-workmen  would  knock  the  book  out 
of  his  hand,  besides  using  very  coarse  language  ;  and 
when  '  I  knelt  to  pray,  they  pitched  all  sorts  of  things 
at  me,  and  jeered  and  swore  at  me,'  (there  were  several 
men  lodging  in  the  same  room,)  '  but  I  would  not  give 
it  up,  and  after  a  time  they  let  me  alone,  and  I  prayed 
for  them.'  This  poor  man  seemed  truly  pleased  to  take 
his  seat  amongst  us  again,  telling  us  he  always  thought 
of  us  on  the  evening  of  our  meeting,  and  often  longed 
for  the  time  to  come  when  he  should  be  able  to  be 
present.  One  little  incident,  shewing  his  grateful 
appreciation  of  kindness  done  him,  I  must  tell  you. 
On  his  return  from  the  country,  he  brought  a  large 
bouquet  of  flowers  ;  and  his  wife  told  me  he  could  hardly 
stop  to  speak  to  her  and  the  children,  so  anxious  was 
he  to  bring  me  the  flowers  while  they  were  fresh.  A 
nosegay  from  the  country  is  always  acceptable  where 
there  is  but  little  or  no  garden,  but,  as  you  may  imagine, 
the  value  of  this  was  enhanced  tenfold  by  the  assur- 
ance it  conveyed  that  a  grateful  heart  prompted  the 
offering. 

"  I  would  just  add,  for  the  encouragement  of  any  lady 
who  may  shrink  from  coming  into  such  close  inter^ 


FOUR  YEARS'  FRUITS.  323 

course  wifch  this  class  of  men,  as  a  weekly  Bible-reading 
with  them  would  induce,  that  I  have  never,  from  the 
first  meeting  to  the  jDresent  time,  heard  an  offensive 
word  from  any  one,  and  by  all  I  am  treated  with  the 
greatest  respect  and  thoughtful  attention. 

"It  is  difficult  to  give  a  full  and  faithful  account 
of  cases  that  come  under  our  OAvn  immediate  notice, 
without  introducing  so  much  of  self,  that  I  shrink 
from  doing  it ;  for  the  work  is  God's,  not  ours,  it  is  His 
love  that  wins  the  people's  souls,  His  Spirit  that  draws 
them,  and  the  power  of  His  grace  that  does  the  work, 
and  to  Him  would  I  ever  give  all  the  praise.  God  lias 
blessed  the  instrumentality  put  forth.     The  poor  have 

had  a  great  friend  and  helper  in  Capt.  M .  "We  owe 

much  of  our  success  under  God  to  his  earnest  prayers 
and  loving  interest  in  their  welfare." 

This  is  a  district  in  which  the  prayer  in  the  women's 
class  has  brought  the  men,  and  when  they  are  converted 
we  see  how  they  will  '  strengthen  their  brethren '  and 
help  their  sisters  in  Christ.  It  is  a  locality  concern- 
ing which  more  information  can  be  readily  given,  and 
where  some  temj)oral  help  to  carry  out  one  or  two 
new  objects  would  be  very  acceptable. 

We  have,  perhaps,  hardly  pressed  the  point  enough, 
that  these  Missions  now  need  continual  and  monthly 
supplies  of  money,  to  sujjport  and  extend  them,  of  some- 
thing like  £800.  We  have  never  had  to  beg  for  them, 
only  truly  to  represent  their  mode  of  working  and  their 
results.  Spontaneous  help  has  then  flowed  in,  from  the 
shillings  gathered  carefully  and  hoarded  till  there  were 


824  FOUR  years'  fruits. 

ten  to  send  together,  with  a  blessing  and  a  prayer,  to 
the  hundred  pound  notes  from  donors  who  choose  to 
be  anonymous,  and  appear  the  rather  as  directed  to  our 
help  at  times  when  God  has  known  our  need. 

"  I  have  within  the  last  eight  or  nine  years,"  writes 
an  Irish  correspondent,  when  enclosing  a  kind  contri- 
bution of  £4,  "  spent  some  happy  days  in  London  ;  yet 
in  passing  along  its  crowded  thoroughfares,  it  often 
struck  me  that  there  were  thousands  of  souls  there 
passing  to  and  fro  who  were  entirely  neglected,  and  my 
very  heart  ached  for  them.  Again,  in  the  almost  gay 
churches,  how  my  eyes  wandered  everywhere,  seeking 
for  the  poor,  the  ragged,  dirty  'common  people.'  Ah 
no  !  J  remember  but  one  who  struck  me  as  belonging 
to  that  class,  being  present  in  God's  house,  and  he  looked 
and  listened  with  aj^parent  wonder.  Many  who  were 
there  would,  I  fear,  shrink  from  contact  with  such  per- 
sons, although  their  poor  bodies  contain  precious  and 
immortal  souls ;  but  now  my  heart  rejoices  for  your 
city.  I  may  never  see  it  again,  but  trust  I  shall  meet 
with  many  a  'jeivel '  hereafter,  which  has  been  plucked 
from  the  mire  and  the  dirt ;  and  that  by  means  of  the 
"  Bible  and  Domestic  Missions  "  "  many  shall  be  made 
white  and  purified.'^ 

"What  should,  finally,  be  the  result  of  facts  like  those 
recorded  in  this  volume  ?  They  should  not  merely 
touch  the  heart  and  bring  tears  of  pity  to  the  eye, 
they  should  do  nothing  less  than  bring  the  reader  td 
the  study  of  God's  own  Word /or  herself — to  hear  His 
voice  speaking  in  it  to  her — the  voice  of  His  Holy 


FOUR  years'  fruits.  825 

Spirit  always  ready  to  take  of  the  things  of  Christ  and 
shew  them  unto  us. 

We  shall  close  with  the  words  of  a  dear  friend,  ad- 
dressed to  the  Upper  Classes.*  In  these  23Hges  the  chief 
attention  has  been  directed  to  the  "  sunken  sixth  "  of 
our  creat  cities,  but  the  Book  of  God  has  a  messao^e  to 
the  "wise"  as  well  as  to  the  "unwise."  Sinners  in 
silks  and  diamonds  are  of  as  much  account  as  sinners 
in  rags.  In  the  judgment  of  Heaven  the  upper  classes 
are  as  much  "  lost "  as  the  lower,  and  they  require 
"  raising "  in  the  most  important  respects  as  well  as 
their  inferiors.  They  are  even  more  to  be  pitied,  for, 
if  unconverted,  a  heavier  judgment  awaits  them  for 
their  misused  opportunities.  The  great  destructive 
sin  of  the  upper  classes  is  neglect  of  the  Bible ;  and  aU 
who  love  the  truth  are  "  debtors  to  the  wise ''  to  per- 
suade them  to  a  better  knowledge  of  it.  It  will  de- 
liver them  from  the  vanity  of  a  godless  life,  and  shew 
them  that  Christ  died  in  shame  and  sorrow,  not  only 
to  save  the  tenants  of  "  ragged  homes,"  but  also  for 
"  great  men  "  and  "  honourable  women/'  to  lead  them 
also  into  "  the  way  of  salvation."  Deeply  is  this  needed, 
for  there  is  no  spiritual  misery  in  the  world  more  dire- 
ful than  that  which  is  oftentimes  concealed  beneath  the 
rainbow  surface  of  a  gay  and  luxurious  existence. 

The  Word  of  God  has  an  especial  mission  to  women 
in  stations  of  influence  and  responsibility.  All  influ- 
ence over  our  fellow-creatures  is  a  fearful  thing,  and  a 

*  See  an  article  in  the  "  Book  and  its  Missions,"  for  N'ovenaber 
1860,  "The  Mission  of  tlie  Bible  to  the  Upper  Classes." 


S26  FOUR  years'  fruits. 

strict  account  is  to  be  rendered  for  its  exercise.  It  is 
a  thing  of  infinite  moment  to  influence  one  soul  for 
good  or  evil,  how  much  more,  then,  to  influence  a 
neighbourhood  or  a  nation.  Every  person  of  station 
exerts  a  real  influence  over  multitudes,  and  this  influ- 
ence, by  authority,  opinion,  and  exam]3le,  is  given  for 
or  against  God,  for  or  against  Christ,  for  or  against 
the  salvation  of  souls." 

"  We  long,  therefore,  to  see  the  '  wise '  and  the  noble 
of  this  world  brought  to  Jesus,  and  finding  peace  in 
Him,  for  then  their  position  as  well  as  their  wealth 
will  be  consecrated,  and  they  will  prove  to  all  men 
that  the  condition  of  habitual  communion  with  the 
blessedness  of  heaven  is  habitual  intercourse  with  the 
wretchedness  of  earth.*' 

To  every  saved  soul  it  becomes  a  duty  to  descend 
and  read  the  great  book  of  human  life,  all  blurred  and 
blotted  as  it  is  with  sin  and  crime.  Let  woman  study 
woman's  page  therein ;  no  work  of  fiction  ever  written 
rivalled  it  in  depth  of  interest,  or  gave  such  scope  for 
help.  The  Book  of  God  and  the  book  of  human  life  are 
the  only  two  books  that  men,  and  women  also,  must 
answer  for  not  having  read  at  the  bar  of  Heaven.  The 
one  deciphers  the  other.  It  will  be  a  sin  not  to  have 
searched  the  Scriptures.  It  will  be  a  sin  not  to  have  led 
all  the  lost  within  our  reach  to  search  them  also.  Let 
us  have  a  Bible  Mission,  therefore,  in  some  way  to  our- 
selves and  others  !  And  first  to  those  nearest  to  us. 
To  our  own  children,  our  own  servants — WE  MUST,  if 
we  search  the  book  for  ourselves — and  then,  let  us  take 
up  the  duties  that  lie  at  our  door. 


APPENDIX. 


[We  here  insert  two  or  three  papers  deemed  necessary  and 
helpful  in  the  formation  of  this  Bible  and  Domestic 
Agency,  and  also  in  the  regulation  of  Dormitories  and 
Kitchens,  which  friends  in  the  country  are  at  liberty  to 
reprint  and  modify  according  to  their  own  local  circum- 
stances.] 

LONDON  BIBLE  AND  DOMESTIC  FEMALE  MISSIONS. 

GENERAL  RULES. 

1.  The  objects  of  these  Missions  are  twofold,  viz.,  to  sup- 
ply the  very  poorest  of  the  population  with  copies  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures,  and  also  to  improve  their  temporal  condi- 
tion by  teaching  them  to  help  themselves  rather  than  look 
to  others  :  the  former  to  be  attained  by  taking  payment  for 
the  Bible  in  small  weekly  instalments,  and  the  latter  by 
assisting  them  to  procure  better  food,  clothing,  and  beds  in 
the  same  way. 

2.  None  shall  be  employed  in  this  Mission  but  women  of 
thoroughly  respectable  character,  of  active  habits,  kindly 
manners,  and  but  little  encumbered  with  family  cares. 
They  must  be  communicants  or  members  of  some  Christian 
Church. 


832  APPENDIX. 

3.  The  District  stall  be  of  regulated  extent ;  and  the 
Bible-women  shall  reside  in  or  quite  near  their  respective 
Districts,  having  a  room  in  a  central  position  for  the  general 
purposes  of  the  Mission,  for  which  the  rent  will  be  paid  by 
their  Superintendent. 

4.  Each  Bible- woman  shall  be  i^laced  under  the  careful 
superintendence  of  a  Lady  who  may  be  found  willing  to 
undertake  the  work,  and  who  is  a  resident  in  the  District, 
or  within  a  reasonable  distance  from  it. 

5.  The  Bible-woman  shall  present  a  Weekly  Report  of 
her  labours  to  the  Superintending  Lady,  who  will  receive 
such  Report,  pay  the  salaiy,  and  give  such  directions  as  the 
local  circumstances  may  require. 

TNSTEUCTIONS  TO  THE  BIBLE-WOMAN. 

1.  Your  first  work  is  to  ascertain  who  are  without  the 
Holy  Scriptures,  and  willing  to  purchase  at  a  cheap  rate. 

2.  Take  with  you  in  a  bag,  with  which  you  will  be  pro- 
vided, a  small  variety  of  Bibles  and  Testaments,  and  should 
any  of  the  parties  you  visit  be  able  and  willing  to  pay  the 
whole  price  at  once,  take  it ;  if  not,  offer  to  receive  payment 
by  small  weekly  instalments,  for  which  you  will  regularly 
call. 

3.  Let  your  subscribers  understand  that  you  are  not 
supplying  them  at  a  profit,  but,  in  many  instances,  at  a  loss 
to  the  Bible  Society,  and  that  the  good  people  who  employ 
you  are  only  seeking  to  promote  the  benefit  of  the  poor. 

4.  You  will  be  expected  to  devote  five  hours  every  day, 
Saturdays  excepted,  to  your  work,  for  which  you  will  re- 
ceive 2s.  per  day.  The  extra  work  of  evening  meetings  is 
met  by  an  additional  salary  of  2s.  6d.  per  week.  You  will 
follow  the  directions  that  will  be  given  you  as  to  the  localities 
in  which  you  are  to  labour. 


APPENDIX.  333 

6.  As  the  Bible  Work  leads  to  other  benevolent  schemes, 
you  will  be  directed  by  your  Superintendent  how  to  proceed 
in  securing  Subscriptions  for  Clothing  and  Bedding,  also  in 
inducing  the  poor  no  longer  to  live  content  with  dirt,  rags, 
and  discomfort.  You  will  then  be  able  gradually  to  instruct 
them  in  needlework,  cooking,  and  cleanliness. 

6.  It  will  be  expected  that  you  will  live  in  or  near  your 
District,  and  a  room  in  the  same  house  should  also  be 
available  for  the  purposes  of  the  Mission. 

7.  If  you  are  able,  it  is  desirable  that  you  should  keep 
a  Journal,  in  which  you  will  give  true  statements  of  the 
things  you  meet  with. 

8.  You  wiU  present  to  your  Superintendent  a  Weekly 
Keport  of  all  your  proceedings,  at  the  time  and  place  ap- 
pointed, and  according  to  a  form  with  which  you  will  be 
furnished. 

9.  The  Lady  who  has  kindly  promised  to  superintend 
your  work  is . 

SUGGESTIONS  TO  PROPOSED  SUPERINTENDENTS  OP  A 
FEMALE  BIBLE  AND  DOMESTIC  MISSION. 

It  seems  undesirable  that  a  Lady  should  undertake  this 
work  if  she  is  not  able  to  promise  a  fair  share  of  time  and 
interest  to  its  claims,  which,  though  at  first  very  simple, 
are  sure  to  increase  in  many  forms.  We  would  suggest 
that  a  Lady  Superintendent  do  not  offer  her  services  as 
merely  honorary  or  intermitting  :  she  must  be  depended 
upon  for  the  vigilant  performance  of  her  own  particular 
duties. 

No  bills  should  be  paid  by  the  Bible-woman,  or  any 
material  purchased  except  through  written  orders  from  her 
Lady  ;  and  great  care  should  be  taken  in  selection,  if  at  any 
time  a  deputy  is  left  in  charge. 


334  APPENDIX. 

As  the  nature  of  the  mission  is  undenominational,  and  it 
need  not  be  conducted  within  Parochial  boundaries — though 
it  often  may,  most  conveniently,  be  so  arranged — only  those 
can  undertake  its  general  guidance  in  any  neighbourhood 
who  are  not  necessarily  limited  by  such  considerations. 

It  appears  desirable  that  the  Superintendent  be  in 
frendly  communication  with  the  Ladies'  Bible  Associa- 
tion of  the  locality,  in  order  that  she  may  confer  with  them 
on  the  districts  in  which,  from  time  to  time,  this  sub-agent 
should  be  occupied,  and  also  keep  up  their  interest  in  the 
Bible- woman's  work. 

Regularity  of  payments  to  the  Female  Missionary,  with 
kindly,  and  often  helpful  inspection  of  the  varied  accounts 
she  renders,  should  be  considered  a  duty  to  be  fulfilled,  at 
least  weekly,  and  at  first  even  oftener. 

If  the  people  offer  to  subscribe  for  Clothing  and  Beds, 
the  woman  will  say,  "  I  only  do  one  thing  at  a  time,  and 
the  right  thing  first.  I  bring  you  now  the  Message  from 
God,  or  I  come  to  read  it  to  you.  I  shall  be  glad  also  to 
provide  you  with  Clothing,  <fec.,  at  the  lowest  prices,  and 
for  this  you  can  pay,  as  you  do  for  the  Bibles,  in  small 
sums  weekly ;  but  you  must  come  to  my  Lady  to  do  this, 
at  a  certain  hour,  in  my  Mission-room."  It  is  believed  that 
if  this  distinction  were  not  made,  mistakes  might  happen 
in  the  accounts ;  while  a  particular  benefit  to  be  gained,  by 
assembling  the  women  at  a  given  hour  at  one  place,  would 
be  lost  likewise. 

Although  it  is  found  best  that  each  Bible- woman  should 
be  made  responsible  to  one  Lady,  rather  than  to  a  Com- 
mittee, still,  as  suitable  individuals  may  willingly  come 
forward,  saying,  "  What  can  we  do  to  help  you  1 "  it  should 
be  the  aim  of  the  Lady  Superintendent  to  enlist  their 
various  activities  in  the  regulation  of  special  departments, 


APPENDIX.  335 

such  as  weekly  visiting  of  tlie  Clotliing  and  Bedding  Club 
— reading  or  speaking  to  the  subscribers  at  mending  or  tea 
parties — ^purchase  of  clothing  materials — fixing  and  giving 
out  of  needlework — arrangements  concerning  bags  of  linen 
— soup-making — timely  loans — visitation  of  special  cases, 
<fec.  All  these  things  gradually  form  a  part  of  the  Bible 
AND  Domestic  Female  Mission  ;  and  when  money  may 
have  to  be  expended,  account  must,  of  course,  be  rendered 
by  EACH  Lady  to  the  Superintendent. 

Without  interfering  with  any  existing  organisations,  this 
Mission  is  intended  to  carry  down  among  the  Neglected 
Outcasts  of  society  the  different  measures  for  their  benefit, 
which  have  long  been  familiar  to  the  Decent  Poor.  The 
lowest  classes  have  said  that  "nobody  cared  for  them,^' 
a  complaint  which  it  is  the  aim  of  this.  Mission  to  ob- 
viate. 

Each  Superintendent  will  see  the  importance  of  securing 
funds  for  the  temporal  purposes  of  her  particular  Mission. 
The  Bible  Society  commences  and  pays  for  the  Bible  Work 
by  its  kind  grants  of  Bibles  for  sale  by  these  women  in  the 
lowest  districts  of  London  ;  and,  with  thirty  or  forty  pounds 
besides,  a.  good  beginning  may  be  made;  while  the  various 
elements  of  the  undertaking  are  intended  to  be  self-paying 
as  far  as  possible.  If  several  Female  Missionaries  are  en- 
gaged for  an  extended  district,  a  quarterly  conference  of 
their  Superintendents  is  recommended,  to  secure  unity  of 
design,  with  independence  in  details. 

Frequent  reading  of  the  Scriptures  and  prayer  with  the 
Bible-woman  will  be  found  her  most  efiectual  preparation 
for  the  work  she  undertakes.  Her  great  power  is  in  apt 
quotation ;  and  the  Lord  is  proving  that  He  blesses  His 
own  Word  day  by  day.  "  The  entrance  of  Thy  Word  giveth 
light  :  it  giveth  understanding  to  the  simple." 


336  APPENDIX. 

HOME  COOKERY  FOE  ST  GILES'S. 

CHEAP  SOUP,  AND  VERY  NOURISHING. 

Two  ounces  of  dripping, Id. 

1  tt>.  of  solid  meat,  at  5d.  or  6d.  per  lb.  (cut  into 
dice  one  inch  square,)   .  .  .  .  .     6d. 

Quarter  of  a  pound  of  onions,  sliced  thin  ;  quarter 
of  a  pound  of  turnip,  cut  into  small  dice ;  two 
ounces  of  leeks,  (green  tops  will  do,)  and  three 
ounces  of  celery,  chopped  small,     .  .  .Id. 

Half  a  pound  of  rice  or  pearl  barley,  .         .Id. 

Three  ounces  of  salt,  and  a  quarter  of  an  ounce 
of  brown  sugar,    ......     ^d. 

Fuel  to  make  it, zjd. 

Six  quarts  of  water.  

lOd. 

How  TO  MAKE  IT. — Take  an  iron  saucepan  (a  tin  one 
will  not  do) ;  put  into  it,  over  the  fire,  your  meat  cut  small, 
with  two  ounces  of  dripping  and  a  quarter  of  an  ounce 
of  brown  sugar ;  shred  in  your  onions,  and  stir  with  a 
wooden  or  iron  spoon  till  fried  lightly  brown ;  have  ready 
washed  and  sliced  your  turnips,  celery,  and  leeks,  add  them 
to  the  rest  over  the  fire,  and  stir  about  for  ten  minutes. 
Now  add  one  quart  of  cold  water,  and  the  half  pound  of 
barley  or  rice,  and  mix  all  well  together.  Then  add  five 
quarts  of  hot  water,  made  ready  in  the  kettle,  season  with 
your  salt,  stir  occasionally  till  boiling,  and  then  let  simmer 
on  the  hob  for  three  hours,  at  the  end  of  which  time  the 
rice  or  barley  will  be  tender. 

This  soup  will  keep  two  or  three  days  if  poured  into  a 
flat  pan,  but  it  is  best  made  every  other  day.  You  must 
stir  till  nearly  cold,  when  you  take  it  off  the  fire,  which  will 
prevent  its  fermenting.     A  little  bread  or  biscuit  eaten  with 


APPENDIX.  337 

it  makes  a  supporting  meal,  mucli  better  than  a  cup  of  tea, 
and  would  go  far  to  prevent  tlie  craving  for  gin. 

CHEAP  BEDS  FOR  THE  POOE. 

Ticking  for  Beds  may  be  bought  (in  quantities  of  not 
less  than  100  yards)  at  4d.  a  yard.  Eight  yards  make  a 
tick,  and  40  lbs.  of  Flock  fill  it.  The  flock  is  lis.  per  cwt. 
and  upwards.  The  bed  is  sold  at  7s.  or  7s.  6d.,  according 
to  the  price  of  flock,  and  paid  for,  before  7'eceipt,  by  six- 
penny or  shilling  instalments. 

^"  Cards  and  books  for  carrying  on  the  work  to  which 
this  volume  refers,  may  be  obtained  by  application  to  Messrs 
NisBET  &  Co.,  Berners  Street,  London. 


The  following  specimen  is  given  of  the  way  in  which  this 
work  may  be  and  is  independently  organised  in  various 
parts  of  the  country  : — 

{Copy  of  Circular.) 

D BIBLE  AND  DOMESTIC  FEIVIALE  MISSION. 

Many  of  the  inhabitants  of  S and  D being 

deeply  impressed  with  the  importance  of  establishing  a 
Mission  in  their  own  locality,  for  promoting  the  spiritual 
and  temporal  welfare  of  the  poor,  on  the  principles  and 
practices  so  interestingly  exhibited  in  "  The  Missing  Link " 
and  "  The  Book  and  its  Missions,"  desire  to  enlist  the  synr- 
pathy  and  support  of  the  Christian  public  in  furtherance  of 
this  important  work.     The  Mission  will  be  entitled 

THE  D BIBLE  AND  DOMESTIC  FEMALE  MISSION". 

The  design  sought  to  be  carried  out,  by  God's  blessing 
upon  it,  is  twofold  : — First,  to  supply  His  Word  to  the 
poorest  and  most  improvident  of  the  population.     Secondly, 


838  A.PPENDIX. 

to  adopt  measures  for  reforming  their  homes,  by  teaching 
them  to  help  themselves,  rather  than  to  look  to  others  for 
help ;  by  instructing  wives  and  mothers  how  to  fulfil  their 
duties ;  by  endeavouring  to  reclaim  husbands  and  fathers 
from  the  alehouse,  and  to  lead  them  to  apply  that  money 
which  is  now  spent  in  extravagance  or  in  vice,  in  procur- 
ing proper  food,  clothing,  furniture,  &c. 

These  two  objects  are  to  be  sought  by  taking  payment 
for  Bibles  in  small  weekly  instalments;  and  by  inducing 
the  poor  to  add  to  the  comfort  of  their  domestic  arrange- 
ments in  the  same  way. 

The  qualifications  for  the  women  employed  in  this  Mis- 
sion, ^s  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  shall  be — decided  piety  : 
that  is,  their  hearts  must  be  devoted  to  the  Lord,  from  a 
sense  of  His  love  to  them  personally,  that  they  may  be 
able  to  commend  Him  to  others  out  of  their  own  experience. 
They  must  have  practical  acquaintance  with  the  Scriptures  ; 
ability  to  offer  free  prayer  ;  be  of  active  habits  ;  of  a  kindly 
disposition  ;  of  a  thoroughly  practical  turn  in  housewifery  ; 
and  have  some  knowledge  of  writing  and  accounts. 

The  Bible-women  shall  reside  in,  or  quite  near,  their  re- 
spective districts ;  and  there  shall  be  a  room  in  a  central 
position  for  the  general  purposes  of  the  Mission,  for  which 
the  rent  will  be  paid  out  of  the  Mission  fund. 

Each  Bible-woman  shall  be  placed  under  the  superintend- 
ence of  a  lady  willing  to  undertake  the  work,  and  who 
resides  within  a  reasonable  distance  from  the  sphere  of  her 
superintendence. 

The  work  of  the  Superintend  cuts  shall  be  left  uncon- 
trolled while  the  principles  on  Avhich  they  are  originally 
selected  shall  continue  to  be  uncompromised. 

The  funds  for  which  this  appeal  is  made  will  be  received 
and  administered  by  a  body  of  Lay-Trustees,  who  shall  also 


APPENDIX.  339 

appoint  the  Bible-women,   the   Superintendents,    and    the 
spheres  of  their  labours. 

The  following  gentlemen  have  consented  to  act  as  Lay- 
Trustees  : — 

P.  C.  C ,  Esq. 

F.  H.  M ,  Esq. 

P.  R ,  Esq. 

F.  T ,  Treasurer.  Captain  L.  T ,  Secretary/. 

Miss  E.  B has  consented  to  act  as  Superintendent  to  the 

first  Bihle-ivoman. 

Members  of  any  orthodox  Christian  communion,  possess- 
ing the  requisite  qualifications,  shall  be  eligible,  either  as 
Bible-women  or  Superintendents. 

Those  into  whose  hands  this  may  fall  are  respectfully 
advised  to  read  "The  Missing  Link,"  in  order  that  the 
hopefulness  of  the  above  Mission  may  be  fully  perceived  by 
them;  and  are  earnestly  requested,  also,  to  interest  their 
own  immediate  circles  in  the  matter  as  much  as  possible. 

THE  DORMITORY  FOR  WORKING  GIRT.S,  PARKER 
STREET,  ST  GILES'S. 

EULES  AND  REGULATIONS. 

L  That  the  accommodation  in  this  Dormitory  consist  of 
a  comfortable  bed,  a  work-room  and  kitchen  to  sit  in,  the 
use  of  cooking  apparatus,  with  fire,  light,  and  Sunday's 
board. 

2.  That  no  persons  be  admitted  who  are  known  to  lead 
disreputable  lives.  Applicants  are  at  first  received  at  the 
discretion  of  the  Matron;  their  admission  must  be  after- 
wards confirmed  by  the  Lady  Superintendent. 

3.  That  those  admitted  must  express  their  willingness  to 
comply  Avith  the  following  Regulations  : — 


340  APPENDIX. 

(1.)  To  abstain  from  Sunday  trading. 

(2.)  To  avoid  bad  language. 

(3.)  To  pay  4d.  per  niglit,  or  2s.  per  week,  for  tlieii 
accommodation  ;  to  assist  in  earning  which, 
Industrial  employment  is  provided, 

(4.)  To  be  submissive  to  the  Matron. 

(5.)  To  be  within  doors  before  half-past  ten  o'clock 
every  night. 

(6.)  To  take  care  of  the  property  they  are  permitted 
to  use. 

(7.)  To  keep  their  persons  and  clothes  clean. 

(8.)  To  bring  no  one  with  them  into  the  house,  ex- 
cept on  business,  and  with  the  Matron's  per- 
mission. 

4.  That  a  violation  of  the  above  regulations  will  expose 
the  offending  party  to  a  loss  of  the  advantages  afforded  by 
the  house. 

5.  A  Matron  is  appointed  whose  business  it  is  to  care 
for  the  house  and  property ,  to  report  weekly  to  the  super- 
intending Ladies ;  and  in  every  way  to  carry  out  their  in- 
structions. 

Employment  of  two  kinds  will  be  afforded,  as  far  as  pos- 
sible, to  the  girls  who  choose  to  avail  themselves  of  it : — 

1st,  The  making  of  bed- ticks,  in  which  they  may  em* 
ploy  their  leisure-time,  and  for  which  they  will  receive  66... 
per  tick. 

2d,  Two  girls,  weekly  (taken  in  turn  from  those  offer- 
ing themselves),  shall  assist  the  Cook  in  the  Industrial 
kitchen,  during  the  hours  it  is  open,  and  at  other  times  in 
the  general  housework,  for  which  they  shall  receive  free 
lodgings  for  the  week  of  their  help,  and  their  board  on  the 
days  they  are  occupied  in  the  kitchen.  Their  spare  time 
they  may  give  to  bed  tick  making  on  their  own  account. 


APPENDIX.  341 

INDUSTRIAL  KITCHEN,  IN  CONNEXION  WITH  THE 
GIRLS'  HOME,  33  PARKER  STREET,  LITTLE 
QUEEN  STREET,  ST  GILES'S. 

The  objects  of  this  Institution  are  : — 

1.  To  instruct  the  girls  of  the  Dormitory  in  plain  cook- 
ing, in  order  to  make  them  more  useful  in  service  and  in 
their  future  homes. 

2.  To  supply  the  sick  and  poor  of  the  neighbourhood 
with  cooked  meat,  puddings,  meat  jelly,  beef  tea,  and 
gruel,  and  also  to  supply  those  inmates  of  the  Dormi- 
tory, who  desire  to  purchase  it,  with  cheap  and  nourishing 
food. 

Annual  subscribers  of  <£1  and  under  will  be  entitled  to 
tickets  to  the  full  value  of  their  subscription,  on  the  follow- 
ing scale,  and  must  on  the  day  before  the  dinner  is  provided 
inform  the  Matron,  in  person  or  by  letter,  the  numbers  of 
each  kind  of  ticket  they  have  issued  for  the  morrow. 

The  provisions  will  be  served  out  from  12  to  1  o'clock 
on  Tuesdays  and  Thursdays,  and  this,  as  well  as  receipt  of 
tickets  or  payment,  will  take  place  under  the  superintend- 
ence of  two  ladies. 

An  efficient  person,  competent  to  instruct  the  girls  in 
cooking  and  economy,  has  been  engaged  for  the  kitchen. 

On  each  ticket  the  hearer  jyays  Id.,  except  those  for  meat 
dinners,  on  ivhich  there  must  be  a  pai/ment  of  2d. 

SCALE  OF  PlilCES  TOR  TICKETS. 

Meat  tickets,  4  oz.      .         .  .  3s.  per  dozen. 

Puddings — rice  ,  .  .2s.  „ 

Ditto,  plum  ...     2s.         „ 

Ditto,  meat       .         .         .         .3s.         „ 
Meat  dinners,  consisting  of  meat, 

4  oz.,  and  vegetables       .  .     3s.  6d.  „ 


842  APPENDIX. 

Soup,  1  quart   .  .  .  .Is.  per  dozen. 

Beef  tea,    do 2s.         „ 

Gruel,  barley  water,  or  lemonade,  do.     6d.  „ 

EESCUE  HOUSE,  75  DUDLEY  STREET,  ST  GILES'S. 

It  is  especially  to  be  borne  in  mind  that  this  is  not  to  be 
considered  a  Home,  but  merely  a  Rescue  House — a  tempo- 
rary  Refuge,  where  City  missionaries  and  others  may  leave 
those  whom  they  are  desirous  of  placing  more  permanently 
in  Reformatories. 

Here  they  may  be  received  simply  by  application  to  the 
Matron,  she  being  informed  of  what  is  known  respecting 
them,  and  remain  till  the  requisite  forms  are  procured,  or 
the  days  arrive  for  their  admission  into  any  permanent 
Reformatory  or  Home. 

Those  who  thus  bring  females  to  the  Rescue  House  must 
become  responsible  for  their  expenses  to  the  amount  of  one 
shilling  a  day,  which  includes  board,  lodging,  and  the  wash- 
ing of  their  clothes ;  they  must  endeavour  to  procure  their 
removal  to  some  other  Institution,  and  leave  their  names 
and  addresses,  in  case  anything  should  arise,  making  appli- 
lication  to  them  necessary. 

Persons  requiring  medical  treatment  must  be  immediately 
removed  to  hospital  care. 

The  superintending  ladies  and  the  Matron  only  undertake 
the  charge  ivithin  the  House,  and  that  only  for  a  limited 
period,  not  to  exceed  a  fortnight. 

It  is  intended  that  the  persons  admitted  should  be  em- 
ployed in  making  the  clothes,  which,  if  required,  may  after- 
wards be  purchased  for  them  by  the  friend  who  is  respon- 
sible for  their  expensea 


APPENDIX.  843 

PROPOSED  DIETARY. 

Brealfast. 
J  lb.  bread  and  butter,  or  herring,  with  coffee. 

Dii\ner. 
Meat  and  vegetables,  or  soup  ;  on  alternate  days  meat  and 
suet  puddings. 

Tea. 
\  lb.  bread  and  butter,  with  tea. 

Supper. 
\  lb.  bread  and  cheese. 


THE  END. 


Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Libraries 


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